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Access Vegas Insider Vibe – August 5, 2009

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AccessVegas.com InsideráVibe

Serving Las Vegas Visitors and Residents Since 1999

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Featured Shows
Photos and Wallpaper

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! – We had a scheduled week off last week and then I lost a couple of days to food poisoning this week, so plenty to cover in this edition. Let’s jump right in!

Pimping The Trop – The new owners of the Tropicana are going to dump $100 million into the aging resort and giving it a South Beach (Miami) theme. For some reason, many in the local media really like to trash-talk the Trop. But the property has a great tradition, history, and location and I’d opine that with new (but very experienced) management and the upgrades, the Trop will once again be one of Las Vegas’ talked about resorts.

Secondary beneficiaries will be MGM Mirage (the company) who own pretty much every surrounding hotel (except for Hooters). With only so much to do and see at Tropicana, the visitors drawn by the new South Beach vibe will spill over to spend their cash at MGM Mirage properties.

In the meantime, the Trop has joined the list of Vegas casinos with advertising on the side of their building. I took the above photo just a couple of days ago. (Twitter was down, or it would have ended up on our Access Vegas Twitter Feed).

New Strip Casino Approved – The vacant building just north of The Sahara has been approved as the spot for a new casino project. Unlike the zillion dollar projects that have struggled to get finished (or never got started in the first place), this project will be far more cozy with a modest size casino, a restaurant, and some retail. A 98 foot electric sign will help draw attention to the property. (Imagine being able to watch the Superbowl on that one).

I’m bullish on the north Strip area. Fontainebleau will eventually open. Echelon (former Stardust property) will eventually be developed, although probably not in the original incarnation. (Think anybody at Boyd gaming is feeling like an idiot for knocking down the Stardust)? The former Wet and Wild property (just south of Sahara) will see development. Perhaps something similar to this new casino if it does OK.

This new casino will help bridge the gap between The Sahara and Stratosphere, making the entire area seem more walkable and seamless. And… work is already underway to improve the neighborhood between the two areas. Reference: Pair taking steps to clean up Gateway District

Second Home Tip – With housing prices completely in the ditch here, I know that many regular visitors are doing the math on buying a vacation home here. No hotel bills and the ability to keep a modest second car in Las Vegas start to make this option pretty attractive. (Not to mention that it looks to be a good long-term investment).

My suggestion? Scope out the area just west of I-15 and north of Sahara Blvd. You’ll find everything from town homes (no maintenance) to single family homes to mansions in the area bounded by Charleston to the north, Sahara to the south, I-15 to the east and Valley View to the west. Do NOT let your real estate broker talk you into something way out in the suburbs. You can to Vegas to play and party. NOT to spend half your vacation fighting traffic like a local.

New Bus Routes For Visitors – A new express bus system will be serving The Strip and downtown starting in January, speeding passengers with more limited stops. The present bus route (The Deuce) will continue run the length of The Strip from Mandalay Bay to Palace Station. This is not a misprint. The Deuce will head up The Strip, then make a left turn onto Sahara and over to Palace Station. Think about this: If you buy a vacation town home within walking distance of Palace Station, you won’t even need a car here. Walk to the bus, and ride to/from the airport or anywhere on The Strip.

But What A Way To Go – A man recently committed suicide at the Welcome To Las Vegas Sign while sitting is his car early in the morning. (For those wondering, the iconic sign is just a couple of long blocks south of Mandalay Bay). Things like this always bring up the statistic of Las Vegas having the 4’th highest suicide rate in the country.

However… let’s keep in mind that this figure includes people who come here to end it all, and also people who call it a day when they move here and find out there is no instant pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. With an unemployment rate approaching 13%, I once again remind everyone: Enjoy visiting. There has never been a better time, lower room rates or more to do and see. But don’t move here if you are going to need a job.

Las Vegas Club Shows Off Upgrades – This casino has really fallen through the cracks over the years. I’d guess if you asked 95% of visitors where it is, they couldn’t tell you it is located downtown next to The Plaza and Golden Gate.

All that may change soon. Major remodeling, upgrades to food, entertainment, and gaming are designed to bring more attention to this historic property. We sent photographer Greg McFalls down to capture some pictures:

party pit blackjack las vegas 2009
Las Vegas Club “Party” Gaming Pit Area

party pit blackjack las vegas 2009
Las Vegas Club Hotel Casino Photos

Hint: Each photo above links to a different complete photo set.

Enjoy This Issue!

Ted Newkirk
CEO/Managing Editor

Associate Editor: Amy Rayner-Cooley
News Researcher/Editor: Mark Jacobs

Las Vegas Is On Sale!
Get Great Rates At All Hotels:

Bally’s from $39, El Cortez from $13, Fitzgeralds from $22, Hooters from $20, Orleans from $28, Riviera from $27, Sahara from $30, Stratosphere from $38, Tropicana from $25, Tuscany from $24, More Savings At All Vegas Hotels!

Legendary Entertainer Bill Cosby Shares Humor, Insights At The Treasure Island Theatre, September 5 – Iconic funny man Bill Cosby, who has been making audiences laugh for decades with his keen insight into everyday existence, brings his signature comedy to the Treasure Island Theatre for one night only, September 5. Showtimes are 7:30 and 10 p.m. In an illustrious career defined by intelligent standup comedy, Cosby ranks as one of America’s most influential stars. Audiences adore Cosby’s take on the vast, ordinary world, as he gives a twist of the ridiculous to everyday faults, foibles and successes.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas Introduces Paradise Tower – Next Phase of $750 Million Expansion Opens Ahead Of Schedule Adding 490 Guest Rooms To Inventory And Creating Jobs – Opening July 31, Paradise Tower becomes the newest addition to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The highly anticipated project, completed almost two months ahead of schedule, has created jobs and hope as the Las Vegas horizon begins to see signs of resurgence.

Just as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is known in a sense for upping the game in Las Vegas, the new Paradise Tower steps up the Hard Rock’s game on the hotel side. The tower’s 490 lavish rooms were designed with the property’s signature party attitude in mind but with a jolt of sexy sophistication. Hotel devotees will notice a significantly more luxurious atmosphere in Paradise Tower, but without sacrificing the irreverent, anything-can-happen feeling that they’ve come to expect.

Rock Legend AC/DC Bring Black Ice World Tour To MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday, October 3 – Multi-platinum rock legend AC/DC announced it will bring its highly successful Black Ice World Tour, which kicked off in October 2008, to the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday, Oct. 3. The concert is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. AC/DC’s newest album, Black Ice, is its first in more than eight years and was released worldwide in October 2008. Evident that the band remains an incredible force in the rock industry, Black Ice made history when it debuted at No. 1 on album charts in 29 countries.

Hash House A Go Go Hosts Viewing Party For Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” – Festivities Include Appetizers, Drink Specials and Raffle Drawings. Hash House A Go Go, Mix 94.1, Jack FM and party attendees What: Hash House a Go Go teams up with Mix 94.1 and Jack FM to host a viewing party for the Las Vegas episode of “Man v. Food,” which features the restaurant’s twisted farm food. There will be happy hour prices on drinks featuring $2 domestic 20-ounce drafts, $3 imported drafts and $3 well drinks. For non-drinkers, Hash House’s signature Kiwi Watermelon Lemonade, featured in the show, will be available for only $1 and the first 50 people to arrive at the event will get their first drink free.

Attendees can also enjoy complimentary big food appetizers including meatloaf sandwich skewers; mini double stack ham, egg and cheese burgers; mini chicken and waffle bites. Raffle drawings will be held throughout the evening where guests have the opportunity to win a variety of prizes including concert tickets and a $100 gift card to Hash House A Go Go.

When: Wednesday, August 12 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. (10 p.m. “Man v. Food” airs) Where: Hash House A Go Go 6800 W. Sahara Avenue. For reservations or inquiries, please call 702-804-4646 or visit www.hashhouseagogo.com

Las Vegas Deals

These are only a few of the many Easy Vegas Deals we find each and every week (many of which happen too quickly for newsletter deadline). For a complete and constantly updated listing:

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

First, I want to say that I REALLY enjoy your newsletter. I have gone to Las Vegas at least once a year for at least 25 years. I used to have a travel agency make hotel arrangements but finally just contacted the hotels and made my own arrangements.

However, I notice you advertise I4Vegas and I notice their room rates are cheaper than what I could make myself but I don’t know how safe it would be to use I4Vegas. I wouldn’t think you would advertise something that would turn out to be a gyp. But I am wondering if I should use them or not.

Thanks,

Clearnce from Garden City, Kansas

Ted Responds:

Their rates are cheaper because they buy blocks of rooms at wholesale well ahead of time. The hotels are happy to know the rooms are “sold” (they don’t have to market those blocks of rooms) and i4Vegas passes the savings along to you. Hotels across the country have this same arrangement with companies like Expedia as well.

These aren’t some kind of “bad” or undesirable rooms. Regardless of how you booked (with the exception of booking a special suite or similar arrangement directly with the hotel), the hotel basically places you in rooms based on when you arrive. They have every incentive to use their best rooms (most updated, best views) regardless of how you booked. They want to leave a nice impression so that you’ll come back time after time again to their property.

Seriously, if any of our readers aren’t visiting our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals before booking, you may be paying too much. They consistently have some of the lowest rates for hotels here in Las Vegas. And… even if they may be $1-2 more a night than someone else on the particular hotel you are looking to book, consider using them anyway. I4Vegas is one of the great sponsors that keep this newsletter complimentary. Please click on the link above and bookmark it so you always have access to it!

My wife and I used to vacation in Las Vegas at least once a year for the last 30 years. We have seen the rapid expansion of the Strip, especially the last 15 years. It was fun to vacation in L.V. Everything used to be cheap, cheap, cheap – the rooms, the food, minimum gambling limits. Not anymore. We just returned from a 4 day visit. The only thing cheap were the rooms. Food was outrageously expensive. Breakfast buffets average $12 on the Strip. That used to be the average price for a dinner buffet a few years ago. Gambling limits were $15 at the Blackjack tables on the Strip. This was the first time in 30 years that I didn’t spend a dime on gambling in Las Vegas.

I used to drop an average of $600 each time I visited L.V. (that is over $18,000) in the last 30 years. You might wonder why I always lost money. I used to gamble an average of $150 a day and did it for the fun. I used to stay at a table for over 16 hours straight until the money was gone for the day. It is no fun anymore when the limits are $15 minimum. I like staying on the Strip and not veer from it but I can’t afford the limits anymore.

My friends were planning a trip for September to L.V. but have changed their minds about going after I told them how expensive everything was. That is unfortunate. You are definitely on the right track that the people running Las Vegas casinos have no clue how to make more money. It is at the gambling tables, not the buffets. While I will still go to L.V. from time to time, I won’t be gambling there until they lower their limits to $5 again.

K.G. from Vancouver, Canada.

Ted Responds:

Thanks for the input. The days of $5 table limits up and down The Strip are probably gone. If nothing else, due to inflation. (Today’s $10-15 limit is the $3-5 limit of the 70’s and 80’s).

The super low room prices still do help balance the cost of other things. You won’t find a comparable room in any other city for anywhere near the price of a Las Vegas room.

Remember, 15 years ago there was no Bellagio, Venetian, Mandalay Bay and Wynn. Most of the casinos on The Strip were on par with what you now find downtown.

Having said that, it would be nice to see a few more loss leaders. Cheap food and booze used to get people in the door, and the properties made it back at the tables and slots.

I look forward to getting your very informative emails. Just can’t say enough to my friends about you, when they ask where to get great info on Vegas. Just turning 70, I still try to get to Vegas twice a year… spring and fall. áJust curious: I’ve stayed at a number of hotels, but ususally stay at the Sahara. Not much glitz, but laid back and with the monorail, easilyy accesible to The Strip. Whats your general opinion of the Sahara?

Again..thank you so very much for the great job with your emails on Sin City. People think I’m kidding when I say it’s a great place to unwind, especially with the magnificent mountain views and “indoor scenery” of the hotels.. GREAT JOB!!!!

Ray from Buffalo, NY

Ted Responds:

Thanks so much for telling all your friends about us! It really does help. As I’ve said before, we are independent. We aren’t owned by a big newspaper or other media group. Our readership consistently increases because our readers are telling their friends and online pals.

I personally like the Sahara for all the reasons you mentioned. I’d also suggest trying the Riviera. We just were there a few days ago and the property is in good shape, rooms were remodeled less than two years ago, really a piece of “old school” Vegas. You don’t have the monorail, but you are a short walk from Wynn and everything else.

We love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Here’s how to participate:

  • Drop us an email at allvegastv@aol.com – We read them all!
  • Call our recorded comment line at 702-507-0055. We listen to every call.

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • Labor Day, U.S September 5-7 (3 day weekend)
  • Labour Day, Canada September 5-7 (3 day weekend)
  • Jewish New Year September 19
  • Halloween October 31
  • Veteran’s Day November 11
  • Thanksgiving Day, U.S November 26-29 (4 day weekend)
  • Hanukkah Dec. 2 – Dec. 9
  • Christmas December 25
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 31 – January 2 (3 day weekend)
  • Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, U.S (Observed) January 18-20 (3 day weekend)
  • Super Bowl Sunday February 7
  • Lincoln’s Birthday, U.S February 12
  • President’s Day, U.S (Observed) February 13-15 (3 day weekend)
  • Chinese/Lunar New Year February 14
  • Valentine’s Day February 14
  • Mardi Gras February 16
  • Washington’s Birthday, U.S February 22
  • St. Patrick’s Day March 17
  • Easter Sunday April 4
  • Cinco de Mayo May 5
  • Mother’s Day May 9
  • Memorial Day, U.S May 29-31 (3 day weekend)
  • Father’s Day June 20
  • Independence Day July 4
  • Civic Holiday, Canada July 31-August 2 (3 day weekend)

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.

New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2009 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.
Hotel Rates Published Accurate At Time Of Publication

August 5, 2009 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – March 19, 2008

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AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

Book Online or over the phone! Call 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Featured Shows
Photos and Wallpaper

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

I’m somewhat on my own this week putting the newsletter out so have mercy! Amy and her family went to Southern California for a well-deserved spring break family vacation. Mark was last seen monitoring beer pong tournaments on The Strip (but sobered up long enough to produce the news section). However, our new writers are really kicking up some dust with brand new show reviews! So…

Extra show reviews this issue, extra Members Mania where readers comment and tell us about their Las Vegas experiences, and extra answers from me. Lets dive right in…

Hooters Hotel Casino Swan Song – Regular readers saw the link to the story about how Hooters Las Vegas may cease to be in the next couple of years. I say “cease to be” because the new owners are pulling that “boutique hotel” thing that has yet to gain significant traction here in Las Vegas.

Many visitors never headed over to check the place out. And… it has only been a couple of years since the property was changed over from the established San Remo to the Hooters brand. If you missed it (or won’t be back to check it out), enjoy our full photo set of Hooters Hotel Casino Las Vegas.

Mirage Volcano Repairs – Wet Design, the company responsible for The Fountains of Bellagio, is leading the design team to revamp the volcano so we are expecting something pretty spectacular. (They owe that much to us after ripping out the tiger display at the entrance to The Mirage). Details and the date of re-opening have yet to be released but we’ll keep you posted!

March Madness is in full swing and The sports books are jammed. Every TV in every resort, restaurant, and bar is tuned to the games from morning until night. Although Las Vegas is a great place to be this time of year, nothing beats seeing these games in person. If your team is on the move or you just want to enjoy this spectacle live and in person, we have NCAA Sweet 16 Basketball Tickets available. Just click the link.

No-Fee ATM’s – A few months ago, I gave some advice on how to get cash from your debit card at various Las Vegas Strip locations without paying any service or ATM fee. (Click to Read AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe Dec. 26, 2007). Numerous readers wrote to tell their appreciation including Mimi from Canada who said “I have been coming to Vegas since 1976 from Canada and this is the first time I’ve ever heard of this tip. And believe me, I use my bank card often. Thanks a million!”

We also solicited some advice from readers about no-fee ATM’s they had discovered:

  • A hidden gem – in the middle of the strip – is the Wells Fargo ATM located at Carnival Court at Harrah’s. Located between the Starbucks and Ghirardelli Chocolates, it is a standard bank ATM and has no more fees than any other Wells Fargo ATM. And if you’re a Wells Fargo customer, no fees!
  • Bank of America has a regular ATM in the new part of The Forum Shops at Caesars on the second floor next to the patio of Casa Fuente . It is almost hidden back in the corner. This is a regular B of A machine (no fees if you are a B of A customer).

We know very few non-fee ATM’s exist on The Strip. If you run into one (or have any other feedback on Las Vegas or our newsletter), you can always drop us a line at allvegastv@aol.com

Associate Editor: Amy Rayner-Cooley
News Researcher/Editor: Mark Jacobs

Featured Review:
Take A Journey Into Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular

By Erin Guernsey

Your journey into the world of Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular (Phantom Of The Opera) begins as you make your way into the impressive Phantom Theatre, which has been modeled after the Opera Garnier in Paris. Once inside you are met by a chandelier hanging in pieces just above the seats and gray curtains covering the walls. This dilapidated look does not last for long. Shortly after the opening of the show you are transported back in time to see the magnificent opera house in all of its former glory.

Phantom û The Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian beautifully unfolds the story of Christine Daae and The Phantom of the Opera. During this classic tale of love and heartbreak the audience watches as Christine struggles to move past the loss of her father while becoming entranced by The Phantom, whom she calls “the angel of music.” The Phantom begins terrorizing members of the cast and crew when he realizes that Christine has fallen in love with another man. His revenge is taken in the form of murder and a shattered chandelier.

Click to Read Entire Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular Review…

Featured Review:
Rita Rudner Comedy at Harrah’s Las Vegas

by Mara M. Mannella

Tucked inside a casino whose name is synonymous with glitz and glamour is a comedian who has paid her dues here in Las Vegas and her experience shows. Rita Rudner represents classic Vegas in a way that is both entertaining and unpretentious. An intimate theater is the setting for Ms. Rudner’s one woman show that keeps audiences laughing every night.

A woman comedian in a sea of male headliners is an eye-catching marquee on the Strip, where Rita Rudner makes her home at Harrah’s. The audience is welcomed to share in Rita’s life experiences, from the trials and tribulations of married life to the harrowing but hysterical journey of getting older. The unique delivery of Rita’s humor makes it so the audience isn’t sure what the next zinger will be. Poking fun at herself, her husband, and select audience members, you never know who the next victim will be.

Click to Read Entire Rita Rudner Review…

Featured Review:
Wayne Brady: Making %@It Up!

By Devon Brooke Clasen

A true Vegas variety show incorporating singing, dancing, acting, comedy and even that most perplexing of art forms: mime, Wayne Brady’s Making %@It Up takes the theatrical task to the next level, with fully improvised performance vignettes interspersed among prepared musical tribute performances.

Dialing the pressure up even higher, show business virtuoso Wayne Brady has to not only make everything up on the spot, but also make it consistently funny. Fortunately, Brady delivers with heavy doses of witty, sharp, topical humor, keeping even a Monday night audience in complete hysterics.

Housed in an intimate theatre, there really isn’t a bad seat in the venue, unless stage-shy attendees are seated just off the stage. This “danger zone” provides Brady, as well as his improv partner Jonathan Mangum, a proficient performer in his own right, the pick of the litter when summoning audience members to the stage to take part in an act.

Click to Read Entire Wayne Brady: Making %@It Up! Review…

Banned for Decades, Forbidden Cocktail Now Available at Luxor – Nicknamed the “Green Fairy” for its occasionally milky green color and mythical hallucinogenic effects, absinthe is legal in the U.S. after a 95-year ban. Patrons of Luxor’s new center bar, Liquidity, now can experience the once-forbidden liqueur for themselves. Available for $300, “Absinthe Envy” is served in an elaborate tableside presentation that offers a modern take on the tradition of serving the illicit concoction with a sugar cube and chilled water.

Indulgence of the Most Sensual Kind – With tax day right around the corner, why not use your refund to spice up your nights? Take your significant other to a provocative show sure to send sparks flying û MGM Grand’s Crazy Horse Paris, Fantasy at Luxor, Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce at Mandalay Bay or Zumanity, The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil at New York-New York.

  • MGM Grand’s Crazy Horse Paris (Tickets) elegantly balances sensuous choreography with a combination of light effects and projections to create a moving canvas, where reflections and images meet in a kaleidoscope of colors. The show combines the best of cabaret with the best of Parisian fashion, art and women in an elegant, surprising and innovative manner. The result is a unique show that engages the mind as much as the eye. Performances are nightly at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., dark Tuesdays.
  • Fantasy at Luxor (Tickets) ushers in a new era of seductive dance on the Las Vegas Strip. Choreographed by Cris Judd and Tiger Martina, FANTASY features sultry costumes and delicious dance numbers which offer just the right amount of seduction. Performances are Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 10:30 p.m.; Tuesday at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and Saturday at 11 p.m.
  • Zumanity at New York-New York (Tickets) is a provocative cabaret-style production offering a seductive twist on reality. Audiences are encouraged to leave inhibitions at the door and let loose at this adult-themed, 90-minute show filled with sensational acrobatics and naughty fun. Performances are nightly at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., dark Mondays and Thursdays.

Celebrity Colorist Kim Vo Lists Hot New Trends for Summer and Beyond – Make your summer sizzle with a hot new ‘do.’ According to celebrity colorist Kim Vo of his eponymous salon at The Mirage, the “it” look for hair is full, shiny and cascading, perfectly highlighted from root to tip. Extensions are a hot new way to create this total concept. Vo says strategically placed extensions can add volume and create effortless, multi-dimensional highlights and lowlights while protecting natural hair. For the “it” cut, Vo says to look no further than Academy Award-winning actress Hillary Swank’s sweeping, layered bob.

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Hi Ted,

I’m going to be coming out to Las Vegas in April for a bachelorette party. I will be arriving one night earlier than the other women, and I would like some suggestions on solo-dining-friendly locations.

I don’t want to feel the need to order room service, or go to a buffet, simply because I am by myself. Thank you for your help!

Amy R.

Ted Responds:

Fortunately, solo dining for both men and women in Las Vegas is more common than in other places. More and more visit for business, conventions, just-passing-through, and your situation where someone is in town longer than their group.

Don’t discount one of the nicer buffets like the ones at Planet Hollywood, Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas or Cravings at The Mirage. While not cheap, all of these have an amazing variety of top-notch food and it can be more fun to sample and enjoy when alone. If you want low-key and less expensive, you’ll be quite comfortable dining solo in any hotel coffee shop. This can also be a great time to try one of the celeb chef restaurants without the pressure of how to split the check!

I’d avoid a theme restaurant or a place that will have more of a party atmosphere as they tend to draw groups having fun and you may feel slightly self-conscious or alone. If you feel slightly self-conscious asking for a table for one, just tell the hostess “It’s just me this evening… my friends are flying in later.” If comfortable with it, most restaurants serve their full menu at the bar, no reservation necessary.

Bottom Line: Go eat and have fun. This is your one chance to do what you want without it having to be a group decision!

Ted:Many thanks for your news letter! We had a great time over Christmas, but the weather was COLD! Will not come in winter again, since we’re from Maine. Also many shows were dark for various reasons. We decided to visit Laughlin and some friends there. GREAT!

We stayed at Ballys in Vegas GREAT! but returned for 2 nights more and stayed in an off strip casino/hotel and checked out early because we HATED it there! We thought it would be o.k. because they have renovated, but we got an old room and UGH! The Bellagio Gardens were beautiful!!

Keep up good works on news.

chocolatecat11

Ted Responds:

Every fall, I do try to remind everyone that we are not a balmy winter destination (yes sunny, but not warm) as I did in our November 30, 2007 issue. Winter average is 57 F but our highs can be 15 degrees on either side of the average at any given time. Our desert has a mind of its own!

Because mid-December is the lightest visitor volume of the year, many of the shows take a week or two off and give everybody a well-deserved rest. Most shows perform 6 nights a week just about all year long. The upside of mid-December is some of the cheapest room prices of the year. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Just wanted to thank you for your informative newsletter. It really helps keep me up to date on what’s happening in my FAVORITE city! I also appreciate your reliability in sending it out on a regular basis. Keep up the GREAT work!

Sincerely,

Kerry Espenschied

We will be coming to Las Vegas Oct. 31 for the Professional Bull Riding Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center. There are several off-strip motels within walking distance and I was wondering if the area is safe to walk in at night.Thanks!

Debbie

Ted Responds:

I assume you are talking about the various hotels in the Harmon/Paradise (and Swenson) area. That area isn’t a problem area. Plus, there will be plenty of other PBR fans most likely walking to and from the T and M around the same time.

You may want to use Google or Yahoo maps to track the actual distance from the hotel of your choice to the T and M arena and measure the comfort of the distance you want to walk.

I was in Vegas a couple of years ago and am coming back in late March an we were at a casino, went to a food court and shopping stores and it started raining in the court! What is the Hotel/Casino was that? I can’t remember right off the top of my head! We love your news letter and podcast! Keep up the wonderful work!Keith

Ted Responds:

That was the Aladdin when you visited, now Planet Hollywood in the Miracle Mile shops behind the casino. They make it “rain” in an area of the mall every hour (more often on weekends). Check for the times when you get there.

The podcast would have been back earlier this week, but I got hit with a head/chest cold including a mild fever. 78 degrees everyday recently and I have a cold! All the equipment is dusted off and ready to go. Stack of topics in a big pile. As soon as this thing clears, I’m finally “back on the air.” Thanks for the interest!

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • Cinco de Mayo May 5
  • Mother’s Day May 11
  • Victoria Day, Canada May 17-19 (3 day weekend)
  • Memorial Day May 24-26 (3 day weekend)
  • Father’s Day June 15
  • Canada Day, Canada July 1
  • Independence Day July 4-6 (3 day weekend)
  • Civic Holiday, Canada August 2-4 (3 day weekend)
  • Labor Day, U.S August 30-September 1 (3 day weekend)
  • Labour Day, Canada August 30-September 1 (3 day weekend)
  • Grandparent’s Day September 7
  • Jewish New Year September 30
  • Yom Kippur October 9
  • Columbus Day October 11-13 (3 day weekend)
  • Thanksgiving Day, Canada October 11-13 (3 day weekend)
  • Halloween October 31
  • Veteran’s Day November 11
  • Thanksgiving Day November 27-30 (4 day weekend)
  • Hanukkah Dec. 22 – Dec. 29
  • Christmas December 25
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 31 – January 1
  • Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, U.S (Observed) January 19-21 (3 day weekend)
  • Chinese/Lunar New Year January 26
  • Lincoln’s Birthday, U.S February 12
  • Valentine’s Day February 14
  • President’s Day, U.S (Observed) February 14-16 (3 day weekend)
  • Washington’s Birthday, U.S February 22

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.

New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2008 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

March 19, 2008 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Proud Member:
Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – January 23, 2007

Posted on by

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

Book Online or over the phone! Call 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Featured Shows
Photos and Wallpaper

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! The Super Bowl is looming and we always get a flood of “What is happening Super Bowl Sunday” emails. I’d love to tell you… but we’ve heard very little. No, Las Vegas didn’t forget how to party for big events. However, the NFL (No Fun League) certainly did, and has used court orders and legal threats the past few years to keep our resorts from throwing the once famous huge events surrounding the big game.

Specifically, admission can’t be charged for any event displaying the game, and the game can’t be shown on TV’s larger than would be used for normal home viewing. (This came as a result of The Palms plans to show the game in one of their movie theater screens one year).

This is really a complete shame. In the past, casinos threw these lavish events where one fee would cover an open bar, food, tons of giveaways, the Miller/Bud/Coors girls and tons of fun for a pretty modest fee. Profit wasn’t the goal. The goal was fun!

Do not despair! Las Vegas is still the best place place in the world to watch the game (short of attending the game live). Every TV in every casino is tuned to the game, millions of dollars are bet, and every play generates unmatched whoops and excitement. You still have time to book a trip here. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and see what rooms they still have.

The game is February 3, 2008. If you really want to splurge, we do have a few Big Game Tickets available. If you really, really, really want to splurge: Buy tickets to the game, book a Friday – Monday room here in Las Vegas, fly down to Phoenix on Sunday to see the game in person, then back for the evening in Las Vegas!

P.S. I can hook you up with a stadium suite at the actual game in Phoenix for around $200,000. Serious inquiries only on this one to ted.newkirk@gmail.com (and don’t delay… this will be snapped up quickly).

Palazzo is fully open, generating more world-wide publicity for Las Vegas. The combination of Venetian and Palazzo (two hotels operating under one roof and jointly run as one hotel) along with the Sands Convention Center is being billed as the largest indoor complex of its type (in terms of square feet) in the world.

My advice: Visit Palazzo and Wynn Las Vegas back-to-back. They are just across the street from each other. Doing this creates an interesting compare/contrast in the styles of two of the biggest casino titans of the modern era. Missed last week’s issue? Then you missed our exclusive sneak peak. Check out Palazzo Las Vegas Photos

Palazzo Las Vegas News Stories

You heard it here first… our political caucuses were a joke. (As usual, skip this section if no interest). This will be the last we talk about this, but last week I noted just some of the surface problems which I anticipated with our Presidential political caucuses and why to not read too much into the results. The sparks are still flying and my comments follow:

On the Democratic side, the entire system was geared to get Obama the nomination. This included a union endorsement from that union that 80% of the Strip resort workers belong to, and nine “special” at-large caucuses in actual Strip hotels. Let’s see here… a very powerful union, caucuses at the union’s job site, and a caucus format that makes one’s vote very public. Nothing strange about that? (Correction from last week: The Democratic caucuses were at 11 AM. Also, the legality of these special caucus sites was still being disputed when I wrote last week).

The Clinton’s fought back with a vengeance. Hillary campaigned heavily and publicly in working class neighborhoods likely to have a high percentage of hotel workers. Bill spent much of the week walking (working) the “back of the house” at numerous Strip properties and visiting a number of hotel caucus sites.

On the GOP side, only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul actively campaigned here. Both poured a ton of money and time into Nevada. However, the time of the GOP caucus (Saturday morning at 9 AM) was tailor-made for Romney’s voters. The Mormons and Evangelicals who made up a large chunk of his support here were most likely to actually be up at 9 AM on a weekend. Ron Paul’s base of libertarians and younger people (both groups most likely to party into the wee hours on a Friday night) may have suppressed his vote. (Disclaimer: None of the candidates I’ve mentioned from either party are my first choice for the Presidency. I’m just speaking as a pundit).

Those who want to read more can check out the numerous letters to the editor or our local paper from earlier this week: Next time, Nevada should try a primary. I couldn’t agree with them more.

Quick Amazon Tip – This isn’t Las Vegas related, but a very cool idea I stumbled across. If you are like me, you go to Amazon.com for one or two items on a regular basis. This leaves you short of the “free shipping on a $25 purchase” deal they have. What do I do? Simply add some printer ink to my order. It is something I know I’ll need. Plus… it puts me over the free shipping limit.

Enjoy This Issue!

Ted Newkirk
CEO/Managing Editor

Associate Editor: Amy Rayner-Cooley
News Researcher/Editor: Mark Jacobs

Sammy Hagar To Perform At The Pearl Big Game Weekend – Legendary Rocker Makes A Stop In Las Vegas At The Palms On February 2 – While thousands are in town for football, some have good ol’ fashion rock ‘n’ roll on their minds. This Big Game weekend, The Palms will be chock full with festivities, including a headlining concert with one of the most distinctive voices in rock, Sammy Hagar. (Tickets) The singer truly began to be a household name in the mid ’80s when he fronted the already formed Van Halen, replacing David Lee Roth. Hagar comes to The Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms on Saturday, February 2, 2008, at 8 p.m. for what is sure to be a winning performance. Click to Read The Full Story …

American Superstars Show At The Stratosphere Casino Hotel And Tower Adds Rod Stewart Tribute – The American Superstars show at the Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower has added veteran tribute artist John Anthony as Rod Stewart to its line-up of celebrity tributes to yesterday’s and today’s hottest music stars, announced American Casino & Entertainment Properties officials. (Tickets) “Rod Stewart has a look, voice, and energy level that are uniquely his own. It takes an accomplished performer like John Anthony to nail a tribute that is sincere and accurate while covering the scope of Stewart’s enduring career,” says Mark Callas, who produces American Superstars with his Springtime Productions partner, Donny Moore. Click to Read The Full Story …

MGM MIRAGE Restaurants Awarded Michelin Stars Highlighted by Only Restaurant to Receive Three Star Honors, Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand – The November 2007 debut of the Michelin Guide in Las Vegas is a European nod to Las Vegas’ evolution into one of the world’s top dining destinations. Sixteen restaurants were honored with at least one Michelin star, and seven of those restaurants are within MGM MIRAGE properties. Receiving top honors is the Michelin three-star restaurant, Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand. The only Las Vegas recipient of this well-respected distinction, Joel Robuchon represents “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey” according to Michelin’s three-star criteria.

Earning an impressive two stars is Chef Julian Serrano’s Picasso at Bellagio. Two stars is defined by Michelin as “excellent cooking, worth a detour.” Rounding out the honors and capturing one star for “a very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard” are five impressive restaurants — L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand, Le Cirque at Bellagio, MICHAEL MINA Bellagio, Aureole at Mandalay Bay and miX atop THEhotel at Mandalay Bay.

AOL Names ‘Crazy Girls’ ‘Las Vegas’ Sexiest Topless Revue’ – In Its 22nd Year The Riviera Show Is Now To Be Featured In A Series Of New Movies – “Crazy Girls” has appeared on hundreds of magazine covers and has proven itself as the best long-running show as well as “Las Vegas’ Sexiest Topless Revue” time after time and now a series of movies are being made about the famous revue. (Tickets) No show in Las Vegas’ history has raised so much controversy as the “Crazy Girls” at the Riviera Hotel & Casino by virtue of performing and entertaining the 10’s of millions of visitors who flock to Las Vegas each year with the type of style of entertainment that made “The Entertainment Capital” the success that it is today. Click to Read The Full Story …

Gambling Talk: Video Keno – Part Three – with Victor H. Royer. I have often written that knowing the pay tables for machine-based gambling games is essential, and paramount to your ability to win money. While powerful profits are possible even on games whose statistical profile distinctly classifies them in the “not so good” category, knowing this before playing is equally as important as knowing the information that statistically so classifies them. Just as important is knowing the odds on such machines, and the payback percentages. Click to Read Complete Article…

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Got a couple of great responses to last week’s question about coat-check and what to do with your coat in Las Vegas during the winter:

Hi Ted & Others,

Re this question in your latest column, being a woman, I’m “hot and then cold” while in Vegas (both weather-wise and luck-wise, for that matter). I try to layer a couple of sleeves. That way I can take off a sweater or jacket once I’m inside if the casino’s too warm. But I wouldn’t recommend putting a coat or sweater on the back of a chair, especially if you’re playing the slots. Most of us machine-hop fairly often, and what are the odds you’re going to remember that coat or sweater on the back of a chair? I’ve had to try to retrace my steps to locate a sweater (in that case) that I left on a particular chair.

In wintertime Vegas, the daytimes are most often sunny, and it means you won’t need a heavy coat. But a couple of layers of sleeves is a good idea, especially if you’re walking from property to property on The Strip–quite a distance in some instances.

Another thing that works for me is tying my sweater/jacket sleeves around my waist after I remove the sweater/jacket. No easy answer, but wintertime Vegas beats summertime heat for me, without a doubt! Have a great time,

J. Steele
from the Texas Hill Country

At Delmonico’s in the Venetian they offer to take your coat. Where they put it I don’t know, but of course we all got our coats back after dinner!

Barbara Smith

Russell, PA

Hi Ted,

Like many other readers I enjoy your newsletters. I have to ask……I haven’t seen any mention of any Mega Buck winners for almost a year now. Think the last big news was a nickel machine at the Golden Nugget a long while back. Has the ticket in ticket out put a drought on the winners?

Regards, John

Great question! It seems like there were record jackpots a few years ago, and people were hitting them every few months. A check with Megabuck creators IGT Gaming shows that someone hit $1.00 Megabucks for $10,762,067 in May of 2007 at The Fremont downtown. The current jackpot is over $16,000,000.

Some conjecture that the machines were tightened up to create the series of record jackpots. A downside of tighter machines? People give up and stop playing them.

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • Chinese/Lunar New Year February 7
  • Lincoln’s Birthday February 12
  • Valentine’s Day February 14
  • President’s Day February 16-18 (3 day weekend)
  • Washington’s Birthday February 22
  • St. Patrick’s Day March 17
  • Easter Sunday March 23
  • Cinco de Mayo May 5
  • Mother’s Day May 11
  • Victoria Day, Canada May 17-19 (3 day weekend)
  • Memorial Day May 24-26 (3 day weekend)
  • Father’s Day June 15
  • Canada Day, Canada July 1
  • Independence Day July 4-6 (3 day weekend)
  • Civic Holiday, Canada August 2-4 (3 day weekend)
  • Labor Day, U.S August 30-September 1 (3 day weekend)
  • Labour Day, Canada August 30-September 1 (3 day weekend)
  • Grandparent’s Day September 7
  • Jewish New Year September 30
  • Yom Kippur October 9
  • Columbus Day October 11-13 (3 day weekend)
  • Thanksgiving Day, Canada October 11-13 (3 day weekend)
  • Halloween October 31
  • Veteran’s Day November 11
  • Thanksgiving Day November 27-30 (4 day weekend)
  • Hanukkah Dec. 22 – Dec. 29
  • Christmas December 25
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 31 – January 1
  • Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, U.S (Observed) January 19-21 (3 day weekend)

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.

New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2008 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

January 23, 2008 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Proud Member:
Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – January 16, 2008

Posted on by

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

Book Online or over the phone! Call 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Featured Shows
Photos and Wallpaper

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! Happy to be back this week. My how time flies when you don’t know what you are doing. Got a sneak peek at…

Palazzo, Palazzo, Palazzo, Palazzo! – The new monster hotel next to Wynn Las Vegas has been open for about a week and celebrates its grand opening this weekend. Palazzo is somewhat interesting as the property has an understated elegance that sinks in and becomes deeper as you spend time inside the property.

We’ll let others tell you about it. Instead, we’ll show you Palazzo with our exclusive pictures taken just days ago!


Send this photo as an ecard to a friend (click photo)
and let a friend know their seat in Vegas is waiting!

We are going the extra mile for you, trying something new: In addition to our usual photo gallery presentation, we have combined selected photos into a new screensaver. Plus… something we’ve never done before: We’re making the entire photo set available full-sized as a zip file download. Once again, no charge to our readers! Our photos cover the outside, inside, gardens, fountains and casino interior. Here you go:

Right-click to download screensaver or zip file. Detailed instructions for screensaver and zip files, plus usage limitations at bottom of this issue. No registration needed, contains no shareware or viruses.

Nevada Caucuses are a joke – We don’t often get political here (skip this section of politics bores you), and I need to make it very clear that I am writing this prior to the Nevada political caucuses. As I write, I have no clue about the outcome so please don’t read support of any particular candidate into anything I note. If I could predict the future, I’d be making millions a year betting sports!

For those of you that follow politics, don’t put much (if any) stock in the outcome of the Nevada caucuses. Turnout won’t be representative of the voting population here in any way, shape, or form. Here’s why:

Nevada has a large tourism-oriented workforce. What are the busiest days and shifts for this workforce? Friday and Saturday swing shift. When is the caucus scheduled? On a Saturday morning at 9 AM. Which means… a significant portion of the population would have to literally attend in what is the middle of their night (sleep time).

Then, you have people who work traditional hours Monday through Friday who just aren’t going to get up at the crack of dawn on Saturday. Add to that a pretty sizable number of devout Jews who don’t conduct business on Saturday. Bottom Line: Whoever chose 9 AM on a Saturday morning for this event was off their rocker.

Side Note: To accommodate the varied workforce here (plus the number of people who travel), Nevada has both early voting and easy-to-request absentee ballots in other elections. This presidential primary should have been handled the same way here.

Enjoy This Issue!

Ted Newkirk
CEO/Managing Editor

Associate Editor: Amy Rayner-Cooley
News Researcher/Editor: Mark Jacobs

Bon Jovi And The Lost Highway World Tour Will Rock MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday, April 12, 2008 – Concert To Feature Special Guest Daughtry – Bon Jovi’s “Lost Highway World Tour” will make its way to the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday, April 12, 2008 along with special guest Daughtry. (Tickets) The concert is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Bon Jovi has established itself as one of the world’s most successful live rock acts by delivering their fans dynamic performances and the best tour production imaginable. Click to Read The Full Story …

Wildest Irish Pub On Earth Comes To The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino In Las Vegas – McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon, the “Wildest Irish Pub on Earth,” has crossed the great Mississippi River to land in the wildest city on Earth, Las Vegas. Throwing open its doors today, McFadden’s 7,000-square-foot-plus tavern at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino will be Sin City’s newest pub-hub for crowds seeking out an unpretentious party bar where both men and women can roll up their sleeves and have a great time. Click to Read The Full Story …

The Longest Running Full Broadway Show Ever To Play The Las Vegas Strip Extends Stay At Mandalay Bay To January 4, 2009 – 5th Anniversary Celebrated On February 13, 2008 – MAMMA MIA!, the global smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, will extend a record-breaking run at the Mandalay Bay Theatre through the end of 2008. (Tickets) Due to popular demand MAMMA MIA!, which was previously scheduled to end in August after more than 2,300 performances, will now play through January 4, 2009. Click to Read The Full Story …

New Lobby Aquarium Features Sea Creatures From Around The World – After a two-month transformation, The Mirage’s famed lobby aquarium û already one of the most elaborate and technically advanced in the world û now offers visitors a new sensory escape. The addition of hundreds of new sea creatures to the exhibit provides a rare glimpse into the aquatic wonders of our planet. Nearly 1,000 marine life forms now comprise a thriving undersea community within the 20,000 gallon display. Click to Read The Full Story …

Orleans Arena Hosts The 2008 AVP Hot Winter Nights Volleyball Tour – The Orleans Arena will transform into a sandy beach this winter when it hosts the final stop of the first-ever AVP Hot Winter Nights indoor volleyball tour. More than 200 tons of sand will be brought in for the three-hour competition and “winter beach party.” The most popular and talented professional volleyball players including Kerri Walsh, Jake Gibb, Elaine Youngs and Stein Metzger will compete as teams of two in a round robin play format. Click to Read The Full Story …

Gambling Talk: Video Keno – Part Two – with Victor H. Royer. Similarly to Big Board Keno, Video Keno has been equally misunderstood. Although this machine is often among the best paying slots on the casino floor, many casual players have so far avoided this game because they think it’s too intimidating, or perhaps because no one has ever explained what a really great, fun, and profitable game this can truly be. With new advances in computer technology, many new variations on Keno games are now possible. Click to Read Complete Article…

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Reader Submitted Photos:

Enjoy the newsletter. We will be in Las Vegas in January when it gets cold enough to wear heavy jackets and coats and that brings up the problem: I don’t recall any cloak rooms in the casinos. Do we have to wear our jackets etc. or am I wrong about cloak rooms?

Thanks,

I. Rudyard Stone

No question it is coat weather for the next couple of months still. You know… in almost 15 years of living here, I’ve never thought about that! If I’m headed to a specific show, restaurant, or club I just leave it in the car and deal with the cold for a couple of minutes until I’m inside. If I’m casino-hopping in the cold, I hang it on the back of my chair (making sure nothing valuable is in the pockets).

Readers, have you seen a coat check area in a casino, restaurant, or club here? What was your experience? Drop us a note at allvegastv@aol.com

You and your staff do a great job on keeping everyone informed of all the Vegas happenings. I will be making a trip next year to celebrate a milestone birthday. Will be staying a week, and we can’t wait. Girls only trip! The planning is in the works and we always check your newsletters for the latest information. Any suggestions for ladies turning the big 50?

Any truth that Harrah’s is being sold? Do most hotels in Vegas charge you a daily deposit on top of your hotel price?

Terri Culver

Have fun and act like you are turning 30 (within reason… don’t kill yourself). Many ladies (and quite a few men) like to have a spa treatment. My hint for that: Services and prices will vary greatly so stop in check out the spas (and prices) of various hotels. (Unfortunately, we don’t have spa listings yet, but are working on it). Since it is a girls-only trip, go to a show (whether a male revue or a “Broadway” style show) that the men might otherwise not find so interesting. Watch our concert listings in the newsletter and go see a concert of interest to you if one happens during your visit.

Harrah’s corporation may be in transition to a private equity firm if everything works out. Many hotels charge various extra fees that are mandatory (usually a few dollars a night). Hotels do often place a hold on your credit card that is released upon your departure.

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 18-21 (3 day weekend)
  • Chinese/Lunar New Year February 7
  • Lincoln’s Birthday February 12
  • Valentine’s Day February 14
  • President’s Day February 16-18 (3 day weekend)
  • Washington’s Birthday February 22
  • St. Patrick’s Day March 17
  • Easter Sunday March 23
  • Cinco de Mayo May 5
  • Mother’s Day May 11
  • Victoria Day, Canada May 17-19 (3 day weekend)
  • Memorial Day May 24-26 (3 day weekend)
  • Father’s Day June 15
  • Canada Day, Canada July 1
  • Independence Day July 4-6 (3 day weekend)
  • Civic Holiday, Canada August 2-4 (3 day weekend)
  • Labor Day, U.S August 30-September 1 (3 day weekend)
  • Labour Day, Canada August 30-September 1 (3 day weekend)
  • Grandparent’s Day September 7
  • Jewish New Year September 30
  • Yom Kippur October 9
  • Columbus Day October 11-13 (3 day weekend)
  • Thanksgiving Day, Canada October 11-13 (3 day weekend)
  • Halloween October 31
  • Veteran’s Day November 11
  • Thanksgiving Day November 27-30 (4 day weekend)
  • Hanukkah Dec. 22 – Dec. 29
  • Christmas December 25
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 31 – January 1

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

Instructions for Palazzo Screensaver, Palazzo Zip File, Usage Permissions

Instructions for Screensaver: Right click and download to your computer using the “Save As” selection. Remember what folder (on your computer) you saved it to. Go to that folder, and double click on the screensaver install icon. Follow the brief install messages and your new screensaver will be these incredible photos!

Instructions for Zip file. Download the same way you would the screensaver, but simply double click on the zip file (Windows XP and Vista) to open up the photo folder. Then, copy/paste (or drag) all the photos to another computer folder. This will “unzip” them back to normal.

Important Note: We create our screensavers “in house” here. No spam, no viruses, no registration, no nothing. Just the screensaver. Plus, if you tire of the screensaver you can go to the Add/Remove Programs area of your computer (where you would go to remove any other programs) and you’ll find it listed. You can uninstall it just as you would other programs.

Photo rights and usage: All Palazzo photos are taken by AccessVegas.com and fully copyright 2008. You may freely use them online or in print, for private or commercial purposes under this condition: Photos may be resized but cannot be cropped. The AccessVegas.com text must remain on the photo.

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.

New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2008 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

January 16, 2008 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Proud Member:
Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – November 28, 2007

Posted on by

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

Book Online or over the phone! Call (toll free) 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Featured Shows
Free Photos and Wallpaper

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! We usually like to start the newsletter on a happy note, but the past couple of weeks have brought us the death of two long-time Las Vegas locals from completely opposite sides of the musical spectrum. We recently reported on the loss of Robert Goulet, and this past week Quiet Riot’s Kevin Dubrow passed away at the age of 52 inside his east Las Vegas home. I didn’t know him personally, although we had numerous mutual acquaintances. His band kick-started what became the “hair metal” craze of the 1980’s that led to the popularity of bands like Bon Jovi and Motley Crue.

Kevin was the co-host of the KOMP radio morning show here for a year in the mid-90’s. The show did well, and co-host Craig Williams noted that there were talks of national syndication. However, it was well known that Dubrow wasn’t fond of the early mornings required and went back to re-form Quiet Riot on the hopes that his genre would make a come-back.á Grunge music pretty much skipped Las Vegas (only a fool is going to wear flannel in the summer) and Las Vegas was still very much a hard-rocking town through the 90’s leading people like Dubrow and Motley Crue singer Vince Neil to move here permanently during that time.

Neil has kept himself in the local spotlight at various events around town plus the opening of his Vince Neil Ink tattoo shop. Dubrow seemed to keep a lower profile, focused on Quiet Riot’s touring and was somewhat settled down for a number of years (until recently) with local radio and TV personality Lark Williams (who was credited for helping Dubrow get clean and sober). Cause of the death is not yet known.

I often receive emails like this one: Hello, we are coming to Vegas and would like to know which casinos you would recommend for more winnings. Thank you.

Over the years, slots at “local’s” casinos tend to be the loosest, followed by downtown with The Strip being the worst. When it comes to table games, it all depends on the variations in the specific rules. Any blackjack game paying 6:5 for a blackjack is worst than one paying 3:2 (7.5:5). Single zero roulette is better than double zero roulette. Craps with higher odds limits are better.

Here’s the bottom line: Unless you are coming here once or twice a month and want to take a few hundred hours to learn the nuances of perfect play for all table games (plus video poker), anything can happen anywhere on one trip. Play where you feel lucky and where things seem to be going well. No matter where you are playing, if you get on a cold streak, stop for a while. Take a walk, have a drink, get something to eat. Then try another casino and give your luck an chance to come back.

This Sunday (December 2, 2007) marks the running of the third annual Las Vegas Marathon. In an interesting twist, Blue Man Group is going to do a performance along the route for spectators and participants. The location is supposed to be secret, but the word “downtown” seemed to sneak out. The marathon starts at Mandalay Bay at 6 AM and heads north to downtown, so if you hear a lot of racket about 6:30 AM downtown, you’ll know what is up. If 6 AM is too early for your taste, Blue Man Group is well worth the regular ticket: Blue Man Group Tickets

As some of you have heard, The Royal White Tiger Habitat at The Mirage has closed to make way for a restaurant called BLT Burger. The restaurant is going to be run by some famous chef from New York and opens this spring. The bummer? No more tigers to look at when you enter The Mirage. The good news, you can still see them (and the rest of the animals) at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat (click for pictures). If you’ve never visited the Secret Garden, it is worth the price of admission and I’d plan to see it soon. The land it sits on is probably too valuable to leave undeveloped.

Bruce Springsteen doesn’t have a Las Vegas date set, but it seems like he’s playing just about everywhere else and we have great tickets. Check out Bruce Springsteen Tickets

Enjoy This Issue!

Associate Editor: Amy Rayner-Cooley
News Researcher/Editor: Mark Jacobs

The Gold Coast Partners With “The World’s Largest Honky Tonk” To Host National Finals Tonight – The Gold Coast Showroom will be transformed into Billy Bob’s Texas Las Vegas Outpost from December 6 – 15, hosting the ultimate rodeo after-party. Adding to the excitement, eight-time World Champion and Hall of Fame Cowboy Don Gay along with TV Host Dan Miller will host the nightly National Finals Tonight, a wrap-up of each day’s rodeo events. They will be talking all things rodeo, featuring interviews with riders and a variety of rodeo celebrities. (National Final’s Rodeo Tickets). Click to Read The Full Story … Beyonce Returns To Las Vegas To Perform At The Mandalay Bay Events Center Sunday, December 30 – Superstar and cultural icon BEYONCE is set to return to Las Vegas to celebrate New Years Eve Weekend. (Tickets) BEYONCE will appear at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Sunday, Dec. 30 and the show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Music World/Columbia Records recently released BEYONCE’s B’DAY Deluxe Edition, an expanded two-disc edition of the pop icon’s best-selling Grammy-winning solo album. The first single from the album, “Beautiful Liar,” an irresistible Latin/pop anthem of feminine empowerment, entered the Billboard Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks charts at No. 1. Click to Read The Full Story …

Larry The Cable Guy Performs At The Orleans Arena- “Eat, Drink And Be Larry,” On Dec. 15th – The man who coined the catchphrases “Git-R-Done” and “Lord, I Apologize,” is coming to the Orleans Arena. Dan Whitney, better known as Larry the Cable Guy, has proven to be one of the most successful comics of his era and will be spouting his country wisdoms at the Orleans Arena on December 15, 2007 at 9 p.m. (Tickets) Larry’s one-liner filled act earned him appearances on “Evening at The Improv,” “Comic Strip Live” and the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom Show.” His success with radio continued when he became a regular on “Jeff Foxworthy’s Country Countdown.” Click to Read The Full Story …

Merry Christmas Las Vegas Being Taped For Local And National Television – The producers of the award-winning weekly television show, Entertainment Las Vegas Style, presents the 22nd Annual “Merry Christmas Las Vegas” a joyful program of seasonal song and laughter. “Merry Christmas Las Vegas” is presented as a Christmas gift from the headliners of the Entertainment Capital of the World, in support of the children known as “Helen Joy’s Young Entertainers” through the Youth Foundation for the Performing Arts. “Helen Joy’s Young Entertainers” and Entertainment Ambassador “Tony Sacca” have once again been invited to perform at the White House on Saturday, December 8, at 7:00 pm, representing the City of Las Vegas. Click to Read The Full Story …

Goodman Meets With ‘Little Legends’ – Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman met with the “Little Legends” cast in his office Thursday, where the performers invited him to their grand opening show Tuesday at the Harmon Theater inside Krave nightclub. (Tickets) “Little Legends” performers Abdoul and Adam Kone, Terra Jole and her boyfriend, who impersonates Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee take a photo with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman on Thursday at his office. Click to Read The Full Story …

Roy’s Is Filling All The Good Boys And Girls Glasses This Holiday With Roy’s Chocolate-Peppermint Kiss Cocktail – Making the holiday season bright, Roy’s is offering a Chocolate-Peppermint Kiss cocktail to sweeten even the grumpiest holiday-goer. Combining all the magical spirit of the holidays in a sweet concoction, Roy’s drizzles heavenly Godiva chocolate liqueur to the bottom of a glass and then mixes in CrÞme de Cacao, Peppermint Schnapps and Mt. Gay Vanilla Rum for a decadently divine, chocolate libation. This season be sure to spoil those who have been nice and even those who have been naughty with the below recipe.

Roy’s Chocolate-Peppermint Kiss

  • 1.5 oz of CrÞme de Cacao
  • .75 oz Peppermint Schnapps
  • .75 Mt. Gay Vanilla Rum
  • .5 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
  • Splash of water

Method: Shake the first three liqueurs vigorously with ice. Then drizzle the chocolate into the chilled Martini glass (chocolate should be drizzled only on one side of martini glass). Slowly sink the .5 oz of Godiva chocolate liqueur onto bottom of the glass and garnish with a York Peppermint Patty. Visit Roy’s in Summerlin 8701 W. Charleston Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89117. Click to Read The Full Story …

It’s Time To Start Planning For The Holidays At The Magical Forest – Hundreds of trees frosted with millions of lights, incredible holiday displays, a ride on one of our two “Forest Express” passenger trains, a spin on an antique carousel, a windswept trip down the Alpine Slide, a visit to Santa, and finished off with a heaping holiday dose of hot cocoa and funnel cakes, the Las Vegas holiday classic, The Magical Forest, opens its doors to holiday revelers Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd through December 30th. Every year The Magical Forest reinvents itself with something new just around the next turn on the Forest path, and this year is no exception. Click to Read The Full Story …

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Reader Submitted Photos:

Hello, We are in Vegas 3 to 4 times a year and really enjoy all of it. Here are some pictures we have taken over the years. Hope to see some of them in your newsletter.

Jack & Caroline
Pinellas Park, Florida





Hint: Click on all photos above to see more.

Dear Ted:I visit Vegas 2 to 3 times a year and this is the first year that I will be there on New Year’s Eve. I am trying to find out what options are available for celebrating the new year in Vegas. Can you tell me how to find out what the hotels on the strip are offering for New Year’s Eve? Do they normally have dinner/party packages available for the evening? What about bands, dancing, etc? Are you going to be publishing this in an upcoming newsletter? Thanks for any help you can offer.Julie in Ohio

Ted Responds:

We’ve been adding them to our concert/event calendar to the right side of this page, plus we have pulled together a comprehensive list of everything we have (to date) at http://www.accessvegas.com/new-years-eve-2007. Please understand that it seems like the hotels would be making these plans and letting us know months in advance (especially for a huge date people plan ahead for). But realistically, most New Year’s Eve info only starts to roll into us starting late November each year. Hope this helps!

Hi Ted,I was wondering if you knew what happened to David Osborne. He used to play the piano at Cafe Lago at Caesar’s Palace. I was wondering if he was performing anywhere else in Vegas right now?I really enjoy your newsletter!

Jane Penny
Brady, Texas

Ted Responds:

I was able to contact David who got back to me with the following:

Hi Ted, I am still playing in Las Vegas, I moved to Bellagio after being at Caesars Palace for 12 years. I perform solo piano at the Petrosian 8pm-12:45 on Thursday’s, Friday’s and Saturday’s. I perform with a bass player at the Baccarat Bar from 8:45pm -1am on Sunday’s and Monday’s.

I have signed with Alkahest Artists and Attractions and travel with a bass player and a drummer, we are known as the David Osborne Trio. Here is some information on my upcoming performances.

á

  • Tuesday, January 8, 2008 1:30PM, South Florida Community College, Avon Park, Florida
  • Friday, March 28, 2008 8:00pm, Saturday, March 29, 2008 8:00pm, Center for Arts & Humanities, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Tuesday, April 8, 2008, Hawkeye Community College, Tama Hall Auditorium, Waterloo, Iowa

I also might add that ifá you can listen to most of David’s music at his David Osbourne Rhapsody Page

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • Christmas December 25 (4 day weekend – Christmas on Tuesday)
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 29 – January 1 (4 day weekend – New Years on Tuesday)

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2007 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

November 28, 2007 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Proud Member:
Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – June 20, 2007

Posted on by

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

Book Online or over the phone! Call (toll free) 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Free Photos, Wallpaper, and Streaming Videos

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Ted was on assignment this week. He was last seen mumbling something about having to do in-depth research on the various European-style pools that have been gaining in popularity in Las Vegas. He should return next week. Please enjoy the stories and links as prepared by Amy Raynor-Cooley.

Correction: Last week’s comment that the Frontier was closing later this week should have read “later next month.” The exact closure date is July 15, 2007.

The Las Vegas Hilton will be having a fireworks display on the 4’th. So far, this is the only one in the vicinity of The Strip that we’ve heard about. Probable best place to view it? Top of the parking garage of The Hilton or Riviera. (View from The Sahara might be blocked by the Turberry Towers). We’d suggest at least being north of Wynn Las Vegas for best possible chance to view. Many other displays are taking place around town: Las Vegas Fourth of July Fireworks and Events List

Vets Observe New Baby Dolphin At The Mirage – A baby dolphin born at the Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage is making a big splash. The male calf was born late Friday evening, and so far, he is doing just fine. The four day old calf is under constant watch by visitors and by a whole team of veterinarians at the Mirage’s Dolphin Habitat. Dolphin births in captivity are rare, and it will take several more weeks for this to be considered a successful birth. But vets say the 25 pound calf id doing well. It helps that his mother has some experience in child rearing. Click to Read The Full Story …

Lee Greenwood And Crystal Gayle To Perform At Buffalo Bill’s Star Of The Desert Arena – Patriotic Duo In Concert Fouth Of July Weekend – Lee Greenwood and Crystal Gayle will perform at the Star of the Desert Arena Saturday, July 7 at 8 p.m. (Tickets) Greenwood became a staple of modern-day nationalism with his song “God Bless the USA.” While best known for this patriotic hymn, Greenwood has a string of other hits including: “Dixie Road,” “I.O.U.” and “Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands.” Click to Read The Full Story …

Joe “Paris” Trammel Takes Stand And Stays In Jail – Las Vegas Comic To Serve Remainder Of Sentence Handed To Paris Hilton – WHAT: Prop Comic, Joe Trammel, a.k.a. The TV Guy, has taken a stand and will serve the remainder of the 23 day jail sentence given to Paris Hilton. Joe’s goal is to live inside the cell dressed like Paris to complete the entire term and send a message that people need to take responsibility for their actions. When asked about the public incarceration, Joe “Paris” Trammel stated, “Paris did the crime, it is now left to me, the TV Guy, to do her time.” Click to Read The Full Story …

A Pair Of Illusionists – Frank Marino the star of “An Evening at La Cage” (Tickets) who plays Joan Rivers and a “Femme Fatale” in “An Evening at La Cage” at the Riviera on The Las Vegas Strip visits with the world’s highest paid magician’s assistant on opening night Saturday, June 2nd at Planet Hollywood where Pamela Anderson performs in “Hans Klok – The Beauty of Magic.” (Tickets) Pamela celebrates her big 4-0 birthday on Sunday, July 1st. Click to Read The Full Story …

Bonafide Expands Performances and Adds Saturday Nights at Club Madrid Inside Sunset Station – Bonafide is one of the most sought after reggae bands on the West Coast and will be performing every Saturday night at Club Madrid inside Sunset Station in addition to their Friday night performances at Fiesta Rancho Hotel & Casino. Originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, Bonafide has toured extensively through Japan, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. Reggae aficionados are probably most acquainted with the group’s recent releases, “Reggae Time,” “Run the Club” and “Why,” also featuring Luciano and dancehall DJ, Lexus. Click to Read The Full Story …

Have a Vegas comment or question? Post To Our Message Boards!We love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Here’s how to participate:

  • Post a trip report to our brand new Trip Report Message Board section! (Simply click on the New Thread option. You may be prompted to register if a fist time user. That keeps our boards safe and spam-free)!
  • Post a comment, Vegas suggestion, or question to the appropriate category of our Message Boards.
  • Call our recorded comment line at 702-507-0055. We listen to every call.
  • Drop us an email at allvegastv@aol.com – We read them all!

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • Independence Day July 4
  • Civic Holiday (Canada) August 6 (3 day weekend)
  • Labor Day September 1-3 (3 day weekend)
  • Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) October 6-8 (3 day weekend)
  • Christmas December 25 (4 day weekend – Christmas on Tuesday)
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 29 – January 1 (4 day weekend – New Years on Tuesday)

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2007 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

June 20, 2007 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Proud Member:
Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – June 3, 2007

Posted on by

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

Book Online or over the phone! Call (toll free) 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Free Photos, Wallpaper, and Streaming Videos

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! If it seems like you just heard from us, I agree… this is a bonus “reader appreciation” issue in celebration of Eight Years of Publishing this newsletter! A little more actually, as we started on May 20, 1999 with just over 450 subscribers. My postings of Las Vegas information online started with contributing to an internet newsgroup in the mid-90’s (newsgroups were old-school message boards) and with demand that I make the information more widely available. My how time flies when you are having fun and we thank each and every one of you for reading!

We have new info in this issue that didn’t make the last couple of newsletters, the current news links you expect, plus a heavier-than-usual dose of reader submitted Las Vegas photos. This is an issue to take your time with and (as with all our issues), save it on your email for later reading.

Typos and Such – If you are a regular reader, you know this newsletter is infamous for not letting a week go by without some minor error. Last week, a sentence about Jimmy buffet slipped into a Jerry Lewis piece (template issue), the week before we had a run-on sentence.

Thanks for your patience in understanding. We have a very small group of people (Myself, Amy, Mark, and Nancy) who crank though an incredible amount of information each week. Press releases, news stories, news links, our photos, your photos, reader feedback, show reviews… I could go on. You literally can’t find another source putting out so much unique and varied Las Vegas info a weekly basis. Minor errors are going to happen. We don’t mind being alerted to them, and we do immediately fix the online version when we goof.

None of us have communications or journalism degrees. We are just a group of long time (five years or greater… almost 15 years in my case) locals who love our city and love giving you the scoop about Las Vegas!

Enjoy This Issue!

Ronn Lucas Show Open At The New Steve Wyrick Entertainment Complex – International comedian-ventriloquist Ronn Lucas is proud to announce his show, “The Ronn Lucas Show” performing daily at 3 p.m. (Tickets), inside the new Steve Wyrick Entertainment Complex in the Miracle Mile Shops (Desert Passage) at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. “The Ronn Lucas Show”, a favorite for adults and children, is unlike any show in Las Vegas. With his sidekicks Buffalo Billy (the puppet comedian who thinks he’s a ladies’ man) and Scorch (the lovable, green, teenaged dragon) Lucas mixes stand-up comedy, improvisation, audience participation, puppetry and vocal gymnastics to astonish and delight audiences worldwide. Click to Read The Full Story …

Tao Las Vegas Hosts Events Tuesday Through Sunday Nights – TAO Las Vegas located on the Las Vegas Strip at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino hosts weekly events for those seeking a trendy and stylish destination. The weekly events are as follows: Temple Tuesday: TAO’s Ultra Lounge offers a relaxed atmosphere, casual attire and house music spun by resident DJ Galeano and special weekly guests. Doors open at 11 p.m. and bottle service is available. Call 800-696-5721 to arrange bottle service or VIP passes.

Jackie Collins Launches Her 25th Book At Harrah’s Las Vegas – Top-Selling Novelist Invites Public To Exclusive Pre-Publication Book Signing Event For “Drop Dead Beautiful” – Jackie Collins, one of the world’s top-selling novelists, will launch her latest book tour in support of DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL, her 25th sizzling novel that centers on the glamour of Sin City, with a book signing and reading at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Set for Saturday, June 23rd from 1:00 p.m. û 3:00 p.m., the event will be held in The Range Steakhouse at Harrah’s Las Vegas and is open to the public. Click to Read The Full Story …

KC & The Sunshine Band To Play 7/7/07 Mandalay Beach Wedding Reception – Lucky Guests Receive Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity – Upping the ante on the lucky 7/7/07 Beach wedding ceremony, Mandalay Bay has signed one of the most popular dance bands of all time to play the reception. Imagine a beach wedding at sunset followed by a lavish dinner with open bar, topped off by the ultimate dance party reception under the stars. All in Las Vegas and on the luckiest day of the year! Now couples will have the unique opportunity to boast “KC & The Sunshine Band played at my wedding reception.” The combined ceremony, offering weddings, renewals and commitment ceremonies, will take place on Mandalay Beach at 8 p.m. Click to Read The Full Story …

Martina McBride To Bring Her 2007 Summer Tour To Mandalay Bay Events Center Friday, July 27 – Country music superstar Martina McBride will bring her 2007 summer tour to the Mandalay Bay Events Center Friday, July 27 at 8 p.m. Country sensation Little Big Town is scheduled to open the show. (Martina McBride Tickets) On April 3, McBride released her ninth album, Waking Up Laughing, which she produced on her own. “Anyway,” the debut single, currently sits at No. 9 after only eight weeks on the country charts, making it her fastest-rising single ever and marks her first songwriting credit. She co-wrote two additional songs on the new album as well. Click to Read The Full Story …

The Mirage Dolphin Habitat Earns Prestigious Honor – Dolphin Care Facility Recognized For Excellence In Marine Mammal Care, Conservation And Education – The Mirage Dolphin Habitat has earned accreditation by one of most respected marine care and conservation societies, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. Collectively, the Alliance represents the greatest expertise in caring for marine mammals in the world. “Members of the Alliance are committed to standards of care that surpass current regulatory requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Act,” said Alliance Executive Director Marilee Menard. “The recent accreditation of The Mirage Dolphin Habitat indicates the facility excels in providing care for their dolphins.” Click to Read The Full Story …

Classic Cigar Art Announces Debut Art Show and Sale – VIP Event Will Launch Two-Day “Timeless Treasures” Showcase – Classic Cigar Art has announced it will launch its debut art show, with a VIP reception on Thursday, June 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., followed by a public art show and sale on Friday, June 15 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Both events will be held at the JW Marriott Conference Center in Summerlin. The display area will evoke the elegance of the “golden age” of the cigar and highlight the show’s theme, “Timeless Treasures.” More than one hundred of Classic Cigar Art’s original, antique lithographs and collections will be on display and available for purchase. Click to Read The Full Story …

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Reader Submitted Photos:

Hi Ted

My Husband and myself were in Las Vegas June 06 and took loads of photos. This is one of my favourites, which is the Luxor. Here’s looking forward to revisiting in 2008!

Kind Regards,

Claire from rainy England

Click for more Photos of Luxor Las Vegas

Hi, Ted,Our life goal is to move to Las Vegas. In the meantime, we must settle for working and coming out a few times a year. On one of our trips a couple years ago, we were staying at Harrah’s. As we were getting ready to head out for the day, I happened to look out and see the rainbow. Although we didn’t find a pot of gold that day, we did have a fabulous time.

Thanks so much for the fantastic newsletter.

The Benders (currently of CO, soon to be of LV)

Click for more Photos of Mirage Las Vegas

Martin C. Grube submitted this Venetian shot with a couple of airplanes high above… on each side of the tower:

Click for more Photos of Venetian Las Vegas

Sharon Jagger submitted this shot of the front Liberace Museum, which is located only a few minutes east of The Strip on Tropicana:

If you have a great photo of Las Vegas to share with our readers (can be artistic or just a really enjoyable photo), send them to us at allvegastv@aol.com. Click to more Photos of Wynn Las Vegas.

Dear Ted,My best friend and myself would like to obtain tickets to the Country Music Awards show for next year in May, how would we go about getting those tickets?? Would we be able to get them in Vegas and would we be able to sit among the celebrities or would we have to sit in the nose bleed section?

Also, how would we find out what hotel the Award Show is going to held at? It’s been at the Mirage a few times and this last time it was held at the MGM Grand. Any info will be appreciated.

Love Access Vegas, so much info.

R. Rhodes from Florida

Ted Responds:

Tickets for concerts and award shows go on sale generally 2-4 months in advance (sometimes slightly longer).

We always post ticket information as soon as we are notified it is available in the newsletter and on the site, both in the concert listings in the sidebar of every page, the concert listings in every newsletter, and at our entertainment calendar at http://www.accessvegas.com/entertainment

Have a Vegas comment or question? Post To Our Message Boards!

We love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Here’s how to participate:

  • Post a trip report to our brand new Trip Report Message Board section! (Simply click on the New Thread option. You may be prompted to register if a fist time user. That keeps our boards safe and spam-free)!
  • Post a comment, Vegas suggestion, or question to the appropriate category of our Message Boards.
  • Call our recorded comment line at 702-507-0055. We listen to every call.
  • Drop us an email at allvegastv@aol.com – We read them all!

Readers Rants, Raves, and Questions – Great reader questions and comments from our Access Vegas Message Boards. Help someone out or post your own comment or question!

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • Fathers Day June 17
  • Independence Day July 4
  • Civic Holiday (Canada) August 6 (3 day weekend)
  • Labor Day September 1-3 (3 day weekend)
  • Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) October 6-8 (3 day weekend)
  • Christmas December 25 (4 day weekend – Christmas on Tuesday)
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 29 – January 1 (4 day weekend – New Years on Tuesday)

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.

New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2007 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

June 3, 2007 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Proud Member:
Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – April 25, 2007

Posted on by

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

Book Online or over the phone! Call (toll free) 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Free Photos, Wallpaper, and Streaming Videos

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! Summer is here to stay, and temps are unlikely to dip below 60 (F) for a low until sometime in September. Pools are open, pool parties at various resorts are launching (details coming soon) and the party atmosphere is in full swing!

Did you know… Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art offers an annual membership? – Available for $45, the Blue Card grants a full year’s access to its holder and one guest. The card also provides a 10% discount on all purchases. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is currently showcasing the master works of legendary photographer Ansel Adams through May 6, 2007. The gallery’s newest exhibit, “In the Master’s Hands: Picasso’s Ceramics” will debut Memorial Day weekend.

The Ultimate “Mancation” – Our local paper recently ran an interesting article titled No Girls Allowed – Guys discover fun of bonding in Las Vegas while on ‘mancation’ about getting the guys together for a Vegas trip. We are just a week away from what could be the Mancation of the Decade and you still have a chance to set this one up if you get your friends on board right away:

  • Las Vegas Hotel Deals while a few are still left.
  • Saturday mid-day golf in what is shaping up to be highs in the 80’s.
  • Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. the most talked about fight in years and years, happening on Cinco De Mayo.
  • Post-fight drinks, celeb spotting, cigars, and insanity at the craps table.
  • Sunday nursing a bloody mary and hangover while betting on basketball and baseball.
  • Returning home with a story that makes you the envy of your friends for life.

Tim McGraw, Faith Hill Expand Soul2Soul Tour Dates – We have prime seats for the August 4, 2007 concert at the MGM Grand plus all their other tour dates in a city near you. This is one of the huge concerts of the year! See if they are coming near you or better yet, plan to see them here: Tim McGraw, Faith Hill Expand Soul2Soul Tickets

Enjoy This Issue!

Announcing Planet Hollywood – After having fun with the Planet Ho concept last issue, we promised their PR people we’d play nice and actually run the stuff they were nice enough to send. Bruce Willis joined Planet Hollywood co-chairman Robert Earl for a toast this past month celebrating the name change from Aladdin to Planet Hollywood.Construction on various aspects (including the facade — see recent photos) are still underway and the actual grand opening dates are September 28 and 29. The inside is pretty much done and well worth a look. Gone is the Moroccan theme which has given way to a very modern, high tech feel.

The Shops In Desert Passage At The Aladdin Becomes Miracle Mile Shops – Modernized Interior And Exterior Renovations And Continued Influx Of Brand-Name Retailers To Continue While Operating Under The New Name – The Shops in Desert Passage at the Aladdin will begin operating as Miracle Mile Shops in May 2007. With rapidly advancing exterior and interior reconstruction throughout the center, Boulevard Invest, the joint venture of Tri Star Capital and RFR Holding, and owners of The Shops in Desert Passage at the Aladdin, are proud to celebrate the shopping center’s new name: Miracle Mile Shops. Click to Read The Full Story …

From the Vine to the Glass: Uncork New Worlds of Flavors – Ordering wine can be intimidating, but learning more can be as simple, and enjoyable, as an evening of wining and dining. Check out these fun ways to tap into a wealth of knowledge:

  • Sip in Style at Onda Wine Lounge in The Mirage – Each month, Onda Wine Lounge at The Mirage explores a different region of the world. On April 25, Director of Wine Mark Thomas will toast the great wine estates of South Africa from Lanzerac to Landskroon. This delectable tasting experience is available for $15 per person and includes a plate of artisan meat and cheeses. Featuring a striking dÚcor of sleek white marble and dark rich woods, Onda Wine Lounge is open daily from 4 p.m. to midnight.
  • 55 Degrees Wine + Design Offers Optimum Experience – Inside Mandalay Place (Mandalay Bay shopping area), 55 Degrees Wine + Design now hosts a weekly wine tasting event. Every Friday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., wine lovers are invited to relax and mingle as they discover new vineyards from around the globe. Named for the ideal temperature at which to serve fine wine, 55 Degrees Wine + Design features a hip wine bar and seductive wine inventory.

Direct From The Sunset Strip, Metal Skool Unleashes An Eleven Week Run At The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino April 26 – Celebrating its seventh year of performing to sold-out crowds on the Sunset Strip, METAL SKOOL is set to rock Las Vegas during a kick-ass weekly residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Hollywood’s famous 80’s heavy metal comedy act takes the stage in Body English starting Thursday, April 26 at 10 p.m. Then they take over every Thursday night through the first week of July. Impatient types can catch a special preview performance this Sunday April 22. METAL SKOOL now brings their 80’s styling, outrageous antics and power rock to the desert. Rock out to your favorite 80’s hits by Warrant, Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses, Poison and every other legendary metal band that made the Sunset Strip famous. Click to Read The Full Story …

Stomp Out Loud Performances Begin – Grand Opening At Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino In Las Vegas – A unique combination of percussion, movement, and visual comedy, STOMP has created its own inimitable form of musical entertainment. With STOMP OUT LOUD (Tickets), creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas have transformed their show for Las Vegas with new sequences and choreography, a dynamically expanded cast and a completely new environment that will immerse the audience from the moment they enter the $28 million, 1,500-seat theatre. STOMP OUT LOUD is a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday, and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and percussion. Click to Read The Full Story …

American Storm Computer Wallpaper – Billed as America’s Hottest Male Revue, the cast of American Storm is made up of the seven remaining finalists from the VH1 hit series StripSearch. Millions of fans across the country followed the progress of the show’s 15 contenders as one by one they were eliminated, leaving the seven most talented performers. click and download American Storm Computer Wallpaper

Vegas Photo Set Of The Week: Stratosphere Tower Las Vegas – The Stratosphere Hotel and Casino has 2,444 guestrooms and suites feature light-wood furnishings, custom entertainment armoires and decor in russet, gold and forest green. Each includes satellite television and wireless Internet access for a fee. Select rooms feature marble entrances, wet bars, desks and desk-to-ceiling windows with views of the Strip. Select suites include separate sitting areas, bedrooms, powder rooms and kitchens.

Gambling Talk: Playing Suited Connectors In Tournaments– with Victor H. Royer. Now it’s time for us to consider how to play perhaps some of the most troubling hands in all of tournament poker. These are the many varieties of suited connectors. Any two cards of the same suit next to each other in rank can be considered as suited connectors, although most of the time this general description applies primarily to hands that do not contain an Ace. Click to Read Complete Article

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Reader Submitted Photo – Austin and Jo from Brighton in the UK submitted these two great photos. They write:

Hi there!

We are ‘Austin and Jo Constant’ from Brighton in the UK, we were in Vegas last October …… when there was some interesting weather…one day it snowed…and whilst visiting the Canyon we saw a thunderstorm inside the canyon whilst we were stood in full sunshine!!!

Cant wait to come back….we will be back in June to stay at Wynns …. thought we send u a couple of pics as we love your newsletter for all the info on what’s happening in Vegas….keep up the good work, thank you!!

Anyway, we took this amazing photo from our room in the Mirage of Harrah’s across The Strip when this rainbow appeared to disappear into the casino tower…. of course we then rushed over looking for the pot of gold …. but…….

…..and here’s an ‘arty’ one of Caesars Palace taken on a slow shutter speed at night as we drove past. I love this one as you can really feel the movement and I think it captures crazy night time feel of Vegas!

Thanks for your time, all the best from your British readers !!

Jo and Austin

If you have a great photo of Las Vegas to share with our readers (can be artistic or just a really enjoyable photo), send them to us at allvegastv@aol.com. Click to more Photos of Harrah’s Las Vegas and Photos of Caesars Palace.

Hi Ted!I will be in Las Vegas over the 4th of July holiday, and was wondering what really goes on for the 4th? I have heard different things from different people, such as, the strip gets closed off to traffic and each hotel does a fireworks display in sequence, the Stratosphere has the best display, and Red White and Boom is definitely worth checking out.

Can you let me know if any of this is true, and what you suggest to check out on the 4th of July in Vegas?

Lynsie Wiese

Ted Responds:

As always, we talk about and list events as soon as we are given the information. To date we have received no July 4 information.

Stratosphere Tower has traditionally had the only display on The Strip, but with the pending sale of the property I wouldn’t bank on that yet. The biggest displays are spread around town where the rest of us live and we will publish info on those when we get it.

New Years Eve is when the entire Strip is closed to traffic and a unified fireworks display is set off from the tops of various properties. We have streaming video from previous New Years Eve available:

I’d find the person who told you that The Strip closes down for fireworks on July 4 and politely suggest they subscribe to this newsletter… so they will know what they are talking about next time!

With the volume of free information we constantly pump out, we feel our readers are among the most informed about Las Vegas on the planet. Share the wealth and tell your friends to subscribe!

Ted,Rob Hammons from Kentucky. I had a great time in Las Vegas back in December. I really appreciated your advice. I truly had an excellent time. I had a great room at the Paris and everything was awesome. I look forward to a return visit. I was really impressed.Best regards and good luck in the future.

Rob Hammons

Have a Vegas comment or question? Post To Our Message Boards!We love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Here’s how to participate:

  • Post a trip report to our brand new Trip Report Message Board section! (Simply click on the New Thread option. You may be prompted to register if a fist time user. That keeps our boards safe and spam-free)!
  • Post a comment, Vegas suggestion, or question to the appropriate category of our Message Boards.
  • Call our recorded comment line at 702-507-0055. We listen to every call.
  • Drop us an email at allvegastv@aol.com – We read them all!

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • 2007

  • Cinco de Mayo May 5 (falls on weekend)
  • Victoria Day (Canada) May 19-21 (3 day weekend)
  • Memorial Day May 26-28 (3 day weekend)
  • Mothers Day May 13
  • Fathers Day June 17
  • Independence Day July 4
  • Civic Holiday (Canada) August 6 (3 day weekend)
  • Labor Day September 1-3 (3 day weekend)
  • Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) October 6-8 (3 day weekend)
  • Christmas December 25 (4 day weekend – Christmas on Tuesday)
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 29 – January 1 (4 day weekend – New Years on Tuesday)

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2007 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

April 25, 2007 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Proud Member:
Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – November 15, 2006

Posted on by

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend! Missed an issue? Click to Read Back Issues Online. This newsletter is free!

This newsletter is published exclusively for visitors to AccessVegas.Com and can only be signed up for there. We do not buy or rent lists, and this information is only for our members and guests. If you feel you have received it in error, click the unsubscribe link at the bottom. To subscribe, visit our Newsletter Site.

Book Online or over the phone! Call (toll free) 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Free Photos, Wallpaper, and Streaming Videos

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! Running just a little bit late this week. We published a couple of days late last week to include the ramifications of the election results, and that tossed us a little behind for this week. We’ll be back to our usual mid-week release soon.

With so much “serious” coverage of everything happening in Las Vegas, we sent Larry G. Jones – The Man of 1002 Voices to the grand opening of the residential preview center for Project CityCenter (across from the Aladdin, south of Bellagio) for a more humorous look at this huge new project. Click To View

Lots of stuff so I’m going to get out of the way quickly this week. We’ll have an expanded reader response section in the next couple of newsletters to address some common questions we frequently get.

Enjoy This Issue!

See the Grand Canyon in a Jet Helicopter! For years Maverick Helicopters has been providing a true VIP Helicopter experience of the Grand Canyon. We do things a little different than any other helicopter Company. We give you an adventure of a lifetime and not just another tour of the Grand Canyon. Las Vegas Strip tours plus Helicopter Weddings also available!

Show Review: Folies Bergere

by Amy Raynor-Cooley

What’s a night on the town in Las Vegas without seeing a show? Folies Bergere at The Tropicana provides a fun, entertaining diversion from gambling while giving you the feel of a classic, Vegas evening of days past. The opening sequences feature the dancers in traditional showgirl apparel with large feathered headresses and sequined costumes in an exciting display of lights, music and dance. From the lighted staircase to the ladies being lowered from the ceiling on ornamental swings, the props were as amazing as the dancing. Click to Read Complete Review

The Beatles Revolution Lounge Opens December At The Mirage, Las Vegas – Inspired by the spirit of The Beatles and created by Cirque du Soleil, The Beatles REVOLUTION LOUNGE is set to open this December at The Mirage. Opening its doors only six months after the high-profile launch of The Beatles LOVE, REVOLUTION will offer an extended experience before and after the show. Click to Read The Full Story …

The Boys Come Back to Spread “Plaid Tidings” In The Gold Coast Showroom! – Jinx, Frankie, Smudge and Sparky are again sent back to Earth to bring “Plaid Tidings” to all in the Gold Coast Showroom beginning Nov. 15 through Dec. 31, 2006. The group was to have their first gig on Feb. 9, 1964, but a bus full of anxious teenage girls hit their car on the way to see the Beatles make their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. The girls survived without a scratch, but the boys in plaid were killed. Click to Read The Full Story …

Pro Hoops Ready For Tip – The pro basketball season starts this week and the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook is ready for all the action. Odds to win the Championship are up and ready. Defending champs Miami are 9-2 to win it all but are not the favorites. The leading candidates to hoist the trophy are residing in San Antonio. The Spurs come in at 4-1, followed by Phoenix and Dallas both at 9-2. The Las Vegas favorites, Los Angeles Lakers are a whopping 40-1 to win the Championship. All the current odds are available at the SuperBook.

Free Music Happenings: To celebrate the release of Smooth Jazz 105.7 The Oasis’ CD Collection Volume II, Smooth Jazz saxophonist Mindi Abair will be putting on a free show this Sunday, November 19th at Best Buy Store located at 611 Marks Street in Henderson, NV at noon. Mindi and The Oasis’ on-air personalities will then be autographing copies of the CD Smooth Jazz 105.7 The Oasis’ CD Collection, Volume II which will be on sale for $12.99 with a portion of the proceeds from the CD going to benefit Child Focus.

Also, for those of you who enjoy contemporary jazz, David Van Such plays the Omaha Lounge (no cover) at The Plaza Hotel downtown through November 19 from 9 PM to 1:30 AM.

Fiamma Trattoria Turns Simple Spud into Decadent Side Dish – With the onset of cold weather comes the craving for comfort foods. Step into Fiamma Trattoria & Bar at MGM Grand where they have just the thing to feed your hunger – a baked potato like no other – the Yukon Gold White Truffle Potato. This $70 side item is the largest potato available on the market. Simply seasoned with salt, pepper and high quality olive oil then wrapped in foil paper and baked, the sublime spud is removed from its casing while still warm and folded with bacon, sour cream, imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and two grams of fresh Alba truffles from Italy. After mixing, the potato is placed back into the skin and topped with an additional seven grams of shaved Alba white truffles. Pure potato decadence! Available for a limited time only.

50th Anniversary Of Famous Liberace-Elvis Photo – Tribute Artists Re-Create Photo To Celebrate Entertainers – It was 50 years ago when a popular piano player and a young up-and-coming rock ‘n’ roller posed for a publicity photo in Las Vegas. Who could have predicted then that both performers not only would become worldwide legends but would continue to attract thousands of devoted fans decades after their respective deaths. On Nov. 14, 1956, Liberace and Elvis Presley posed for a publicity photo taken by the Las Vegas News Bureau in which they switched jackets and instruments. To commemorate the golden anniversary of this picture seen around the world, tribute artists Wes Winters as Liberace and Matt Lewis as Elvis re-created the famous photo at the Liberace Museum. Click to Read The Full Story …

Announcing Mandalay Bay’s All You Can Bite Buffet Deal – As North America’s only predator-based aquarium, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay knows great food is worth the hunt. But in honor of modern society, Mandalay Bay is offering a specially discounted Bay Side Buffet Dinner and Shark Reef admission package. Now you can explore the deep-blue depths of Shark Reef and leave the fishing to the predators! Enjoy a delicious dinner at the Bay Side Buffet and one admission to Shark Reef, all for one low price. At $39.99 for visitors 13 years and up, $27.99 for children ages five -12 and children four and under free, the All You Can Bite Buffet Deal makes for one heck of a catch! Shark Reef is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the Bay Side Buffet serves dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The All You Can Bite Buffet Deal begins November 1 and can be purchased at either venue.

Joel Robuchon At MGM Grand Receives Mobil Five-Star Rating From Mobil Travel Guide – One Of Only Two Las Vegas Restaurants To Receive Recognition – Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand was honored with a Mobil Five-Star Award by Mobil Travel Guide, originators of the prestigious Five-Star rating system and providers of one of the most comprehensive evaluation systems of hotels, restaurants and spas. This rating recognizes Joel Robuchon as among the top restaurants in the United States and Canada for 2007. “We are thrilled to receive this recognition from the Mobil Travel Guide,” said MGM Grand President & COO Gamal Aziz. “Joel Robuchon was designed to be a special and extraordinary experience. The Five Stars tell us we are delivering on that promise.” Click to Read The Full Story …

Roll Into Sushi Roku On Mondays And Have A Ball – New All Night Happy Hour Features Sushi Rolls, Sake, Beer And Football – Innovative Dining Group’s Sushi Roku presents All Night Happy Hour Mondays, offering outstanding food and drink specials all day long from 4 û 10 p.m. in the bar and Red Sun Lounge. Guests can meet with friends to watch Monday night football while enjoying Sushi Roku’s specials. Diners will delight in hand rolls for $3 such as Spicy Rock Shrimp and cut rolls for $4, such as Roku’s famous Albacore & Garlic. Happy Hour at Sushi Roku also includes beer, sake and well drinks for $3 all evening, every Monday. Click to Read The Full Story …

Cavalia Horses Arrive First-Class – Four-legged Stars Of Cavalia Arrived At Las Vegas McCarran Airport – The 50 horses that star in Cavalia, the spectacular acrobatic & equestrian odyssey, arrived at McCarran airport in preparation for their Las Vegas debut. The horses, half of which are stallions, were flown in a Boeing 747 from Montreal. Normand Latourelle, President and Artistic Director of Cavalia is delighted to bring his production to Las Vegas and said, “Las Vegas’ mild autumn weather is ideal for the horses, and we are excited to see them welcomed so graciously.” Michael Weaver, vice president of marketing for the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino said, “Cavalia is incredibly unique, taking the equestrian genre of entertainment to a level that has charmed top critics and delighted audiences across the country. We are pleased that this spellbinding live show has accepted our invitation.” Click to Read The Full Story …

Gambling Talk: Poker People – with Victor H. Royer. We called her Diamond Lil. Not because her name was Lil, or because she wore any diamonds, but because she always caught it on the river. She reminded us of those famed Belle’s of the Mississippi gambling ships of yesteryear.

Next to me sat Dan Petrie Jr., writer and movie director (“Beverly Hills Cop”), a few seats to my right Rodney Dangerfield’s opening act (I never did get his real name), a few seats over Diamond Lil, then Texas Pete – an enormous man with a huge hat – then Fred the Fisherman, next to him one of the local professionals whose face I know very well, but whose name I no longer recall. And then there was I. Click to Read Complete Article

Vegas Photo Set Of The Week: Wynn Las Vegas – Imagine a resort designed to ensure that everything you need is always closer than you Think. where every room inspires you with views of cascading waterfalls or an 18-hole Championship golf course. and where every detail invites you to relax in an exclusive sanctuary right in the middle of the most exciting city on Earth. Every person has their passion. Wynn Las Vegas is be the most intimately imaginative resort experience anywhere in the world.

Vegas Streaming Video Of The Week – Exclusive Look At MGM CityCenter Plans with MGM Grand VP Tony Dennis and Larry G. Jones – Las Vegas’ Man of 1002 Voices, Larry G. Jones attended the recent Grand Opening of the MGM Mirage’s CityCenter Residential Preview Center (now open at Bellagio Las Vegas) showing off their in-progress $7 Billion dollar CityCenter project. This is a humorous look at this huge new project!

  • Click To View The Exclusive Look At MGM CityCenter Plans: Broadband (only)

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Readers Write:

Hi

myself, my wife and daughter have planned a trip to Las Vegas from England for the Christmas period (23rd to the 28th December), I would like to surprise them with a stretch limo when we arrive at the airport for the short trip to the Luxor, can you recommend a good Limo company?.

regards

Stewart, Gillian & Charlotte

Ted Responds:

We work with a company that only contracts with the top, more reputable and reasonably prices limo services and you can check out all the details on our limo rental area.

I agree that there is no better splurge, and it is more affordable than people think. No cab lines (or cab rip-offs with them talking you the long way), you can enjoy an optional 30 minute tour of The Strip (highly suggested), and there is nothing like pulling up in front of hour hotel in a limo.

In two years, we’ve had many words of praise and no complaints. Hope this helps and enjoy the trip!

What exactly is covered in the smoking ban? Can we still smoke in hotel rooms? The article mentioned malls. In Chicago we can smoke OUTSIDE but not inside. If, for example, I go to Fashion Show Mall, am I still allowed to smoke on the outside perimeters? I’m assuming we can still smoke in all casinos, correct? Quite frankly I’m fed up with all the no smoking rules. These idiot politicians should go after the bad guys instead. Was always happy to land in Vegas several times a year because we still had our freedom.By the way, I love your newsletter. As a person who loves Vegas and tries to keep up with the news, it’s a tremendous help. Have a great holiday.

Susan

Ted Responds:

The extent of the ban and how it will be enforced is yet to be seen.

A court had already decided that if measure 5 passed, it wouldn’t apply to hotel rooms. However, that won’t stop the proponents from trying to put that into court again.

Outdoor smoking is always permitted.

The politicians didn’t pass this. A vote of the people of Nevada did. Two many newcomers from restrictive states that legislate when and how you can even burp have moved here and want Nevada to be just like their home state. If their state was so great, they wouldn’t have moved here.

Side Note: I can’t count the transplants I have met who complain, complain, complain about living here. Everything from lack of bike paths and parks to not being able to get a “decent” pizza. But funny, you see them months later and they are still living here.

Back to the issue: I’m a non-smoker who and no one has ever put a gun to my head to go into a bar, club, or other establishment that allows smoking.

To those who are all for legislation banning smoking in businesses instead of letting the business and free market decide (I.E., a non-smoker choosing to patronize only businesses that are smoke-free), think about the move underfoot to restrict various unhealthy or fast food. Or booze. The shoe won’t fit so well when it is on the other foot.

By the way, smoking will continue to be allowed on the casino floors and the bars in casinos. If anything, this is going to cause people to do more smoking on the gaming floor area since they can’t smoke in restaurants, hallways, convention areas and the like. Hence, backfiring on those who approved of the ban in general hoping for a smoke-free gaming experience.

Will those of you recent transplants to Nevada who don’t like our “live and let live” attitude toward vices please move back home and quit trying to change Nevada? What is next, a last call for serving booze?

Hello there,Can anyone help us?

We are coming from England in February to the scooter rally at the Gold Coast hotel (Vespa’s, Lambretta’s ect) and have been trying to find out if we can hire a Vespa or Lambretta for our stay? Any ideas?

Thanks

Keren and Roy Russell

Ted Responds:

Great question, and with the demise of the Boardwalk (and the exotic car rental place next door to it), I honestly don’t know. Any reader suggestions to us at allvegastv@aol.com would be appreciated. Beyond that, best I can suggest is a web search on it.

Have a Vegas comment or question? Post To Our Message Boards!

We love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Here’s how to participate:

  • Post a trip report to our brand new Trip Report Message Board section! (Simply click on the New Thread option. You may be prompted to register if a fist time user. That keeps our boards safe and spam-free)!
  • Post a comment, Vegas suggestion, or question to the appropriate category of our Message Boards.
  • Call our recorded comment line at 702-507-0055. We listen to every call, and use some of them on our Radio.AccessVegas.com Streaming Broadcast! (Don’t worry … we never broadcast your personal information. All calls used are edited to insure caller privacy).
  • Drop us an email at allvegastv@aol.com – We read them all!

Readers Rants, Raves, and Questions – Great reader questions and comments from our Access Vegas Message Boards. Help someone out or post your own comment or question!

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

  • Thanksgiving November 23-26 (4 day weekend)
  • Christmas December 22-25 (3 day weekend – Christmas on Monday)
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 29 – January 1 (3 day weekend – New Years on Monday)

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

SurfBounty.com is seeking surfers who are interested in earning money by taking free surveys. This and other Great Free Stuff, Bargains, and More on our AccessVegas.com Advertiser Deals page. Click there now!

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.

New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2006 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

November 15, 2006 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us

Proud Member:
Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce

Access Vegas Insider Vibe – July 5, 2006

Posted on by

In This Issue: Kimo’s Vegas TV, Imperial Palace Update, MGM CityCenter Progress, Mandalay Bay Beach, NHL In Vegas, MGM Spa Signatures, Gambling Talk Blackjack Advice, New Mirage Photos, Advice For Comps, more…

Need to contact us? Send feedback to AllVegasTV@aol.com.

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend! Missed an issue? Click to Read Back Issues Online. This newsletter is free!

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

Book Online or over the phone! Call (toll free) 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

This newsletter is published exclusively for visitors to AccessVegas.Com and can only be signed up for there. We do not buy or rent lists, and this information is only for our members and guests. If you feel you have received it in error, click the unsubscribe link at the bottom. To subscribe, visit our Newsletter Site.

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials
Free Photos, Wallpaper, and Streaming Videos
Free Online Games!

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! Plenty of hot new information this issue. A couple of regular features are missing due to the July 4 holiday, but we never halt bringing you tons of great Las Vegas information. Read on!

Imperial Palace Update – A number of you wrote in saying “I have reservations later this year at the Imperial Palace and am worried what will happen if they close it sooner!”

I contacted our friend Rhonda at I4Vegas (the company that handles the reservations if you use the booking box search on our site). She said this:

“I’m sure they will know a closing date so far in advance that existing reservations will not be affected, but should that be the case, you would be given comparable or upgraded accommodations at no additional cost. Just for your information, they do also own Harrah’s, Bally’s, Flamingo, Paris and Caesars all in that same area of the Strip.”

Note: This is from our travel partner and applies to those of you who have booked the Imperial Palace through our booking box or Imperial Palace information page here on AccessVegas.com. We can not speak for any other travel company.

If you didn’t make your reservations with us, you may wish to contact the customer service contact with wherever you made your reservations to find out their policy. We try to be as helpful as we can, but if (for example) you buy an Acura and you have a concern, it won’t do you any good to ask the people at the Lexus dealership. My point: We can’t speak to the policy of other companies.

For those who do make any type of reservation through our travel partners using the main booking boxes on AccessVegas.com, we are always more than happy to help. We choose the companies we associate with very carefully. Provided you book with one of our travel partners, always feel free to drop us a line at allvegastv@aol.com with any concern and we get right on it!

Kimo’s Vegas TV – Our good friend Kimo Akane is a native Hawaiian and a Vegas expert. Over a million Hawaiians visit Las Vegas every single year and Kimo has teamed with Time Warner Cable Television in Hawaii to create a new video show about Las Vegas! Fortunately, you don’t have to live in Hawaii to enjoy the show. You can view it online streaming right now. Click to Kimo’s Vegas TV

Enjoy This Issue!

The CityCenter of attention – MGM Mirage unveils model of its $7 billion mixed-use megaproject – As Bill McBeath sees it, the last thing Las Vegas needs is another hotel-casino. And on Monday, McBeath, president and chief operating officer of MGM Mirage’s Bellagio, showed media and gaming-industry watchers just how far beyond the traditional Strip-resort concept his company is going with its $7 billion Project CityCenter. Standing over a model of Project CityCenter inside an office on the construction site, McBeath pointed out the 66-acre development’s variety of components: In the back, up against Frank Sinatra Drive, a 60-story, 4,000-room hotel-casino with a curved, contemporary design will dominate the project’s skyline. An ebony condominium-hotel tower with 1,543 units will flank the hotel. Click to Read The Full Story …

Riviera “La Cage” Star Returns To Maury Povich Show – Word-of-mouth, repeat business, fresh material and controversy contribute to the success of the long running hit “An Evening At La Cage,” now in its 22nd year at the world-famous Riviera Hotel and Casino. Controversy? Recently, headliner Frank Marino, who appears in the show as Joan Rivers and as the femme fatale MC, flew to New York to make an appearance on “The Maury Povich Show” to appear with a panel discussing plastic surgery. Click to Read The Full Story …

The Beach Just Got Better: Mandalay Bay Beach Bungalows First Step In Exciting New Pool Offerings – The Mandalay Bay Beach — Las Vegas’ best pool experience — now offers more. More glistening sand, more exclusive seating and more of what visitors come to Vegas to find. Many guests choose their hotel based on the pool, and the Mandalay Bay Beach is one of the best draws in Vegas! Due to extraordinary demand, the resort has expanded its pool amenities for 2006 and plans more exciting additions for 2007. The real sand beach makes the Mandalay Bay Beach special — 1,700 tons of sand simply wasn’t enough. For 2006, the resort has added more than 1,000 tons, creating additional premium beach seating for its guests. Click to Read The Full Story … or View Mandalay Bay Photos

National Hockey Leagueá Returns To Las Vegas As The Los Angeles Kings Face The Colorado Avalanche For “Frozen Fury 9” At MGM Grand Saturday, Sept. 23 – The Los Angeles Kings return to Las Vegas for “Frozen Fury 9” when they host an NHL pre-season game against the Colorado Avalanche Saturday, Sept. 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. “Frozen Fury 9” plans to feature a line-up of NHL all-star players from both rosters including Kings players Mattias Norstrom, Craig Conroy and Michael Cammalleri. Colorado Avalanche all-stars include Alex Tanguay, Milan Hejduk and former Kings Forward Ian Laperriere. Click to Read The Full Story …

5 Millionth Showgoer Sees ‘Legends in Concert’ As Imperial Palace Celebrity Tribute in 24th Year Marks Major Milestone – Veronica Flori, and her fiance, Charles Bray, were just entering the Imperial Theatre last night to see the 7:30 p.m. show of “Legends in Concert” at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino when they were asked to step out of the line. Bray said at first he thought they were in trouble, but how could that be? “We didn’t cut in line, so we didn’t know what was going on,” Bray said. Click to Read The Full Story …

A Penny For Your Slots – The SpaceQuest Casino at the Las Vegas Hilton is the newest home to penny slots: 12 new Bally’s CineVision games with four different versions – Gold & Gems, Green Stamps, Bonus Frenzy, and American Original. Additional features are great graphics and some fantastic new bonuses.

Exclusive Ritual Treatments Add Cultural Flavor to Grand Spa Offerings – MGM Grand Spa recently introduced three signature ritual treatments. The new options join the popular Australian Aboriginal-inspired Dreaming Ritual to provide guests with an extensive menu of exclusive, indulgent global experiences that combine modern spa treatments with ancient cultural flavor. Rituals can be enjoyed either as a private journey or as a couple’s experience. All rituals include a private hot steam session and a Swiss shower.

  • The Dreaming Ritual — 120 Minutes – $295
    This original signature ritual has received acclaim and loyalty among Grand Spa guests for years, making it their most popular signature service. The Dreaming Ritual is a tribal-inspired service that begins with a foot soak and proceeds into an exfoliation, body-mask and scalp treatment with indigenous healing elements from Australia. This profound experience is made complete with an Australian Aboriginal Massage. You will feel both deeply relaxed and deeply renewed.
  • Japanese Yuzu Ritual — 100 Minutes – $265
    Yuzu, known as Japanese grapefruit, is rich in organic acids that aid in pain relief, improved circulation and skin smoothing. This refreshing ritual begins with a yuzu body scrub, followed by a choice of a sake or white tea body wrap and a Shiatsu scalp massage. Both sake and white tea are known for their anti-oxidant properties. Finally, unwind with a 50-minute Shiatsu-Combination Massage performed with yuzu body butter.
  • Amazon Rainforest Ritual — 100 Minutes – $265
    This healing ritual begins with a plantain and cocoa powder body scrub. A healing and moisturizing body wrap, featuring the native South American herb “Una de Gato,” used for many years to stimulate the immune system and to reduce inflammation, follows. A rejuvenating foot massage is provided during the body wrap and the service ends with a 50-minute rhythmic massage using cocoa butter or passion flower oil. This service is sure to release any tension you might be carrying.
  • Turkish Hammam Ritual — 100 Minutes – $265
    This treatment originates from the Turkish Hammam, a spa tradition dating back thousands of years, popular throughout the Mediterranean region. The ritual begins with a scrub made from Turkish coffee grinds and brown sugar blended with crushed walnut husks and fragrant cinnamon and cardamom. The body wrap that follows contains coffee extract, which will stimulate the tissues for cellulite reduction, along with milk proteins, aloe and seaweed to help nourish the skin. Enjoy a scalp massage during the body wrap before beginning a final vigorous, deep pressure massage, performed with orange or lavender body butter.

World Series Of Blackjack Kicks Off Schedule – The “World Series of Blackjack” taped at the Las Vegas Hilton, kicked off its schedule Monday in primetime (10 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. Pacific) on GSN (formerly the Game Show Network). The show features a new episode each Monday (then repeat two additional times during the week) for 13 weeks through August 28. The series can be seen on GSN (consult local cable listings) and nationally on Direct TV Channel 309 and Dish Network Channel 116.

Gambling Talk: Victor Royer on Cigar Dave Show Part 2: Blackjack and Video Poker – with Victor H. Royer. Victor H. Royer appeared on famed fine living guru Cigar Dave Show radio program. In this segment, Victor gives exclusive insight into playing and winning at blackjack and video poker! Click to Listen To Poker Advice Interview (13 minutes)

Vegas Photo Set Of The Week: The Mirage Las Vegas – Upon entering the Mirage, your first thought will be that you’ve discovered a palace in a tropical jungle. The remainder of your stay at the Mirage will elicit awe, whether you’re dining, relaxing, or playing. The Mirage is located in the middle of the electrifying Vegas strip. From your hotel, you can literally walk to a myriad of shopping, convention, gaming, dining, and entertainment venues.

Vegas Streaming Video Of The Week – Siegfried and Roy Highlights 1995. The new Cirque du Soleil “Love” Show now occupies the amazing theatre at The Mirage that was home to Siegfried and Roy for so many years. As Love opens, let’s look back in time 11 years to what was Las Vegas’ premiere show. This is part one of two parts. Part Two (1996) will be featured in a future issue. Siegfried and Roy Highlights 1995: Broadband (only)

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Readers Write –

Hi Ted,

I truly enjoy the newsletter. I am curious about 1 thing though – does everyone try and get something for nothing in Vegas? I love Vegas make no mistake. I have played everything from penny slots up to and including black and purple checks on the craps table. Other than drinks, I have never ever taken a comp for anything. Nor do I intend to.

I come to play – not collect freebies. Last thing I want is some casino toadie looking over my shoulder offering me a room or a dinner. I gamble to gamble. I don’t want gifts – I want to be left alone. If I want a suite, I’ll pay for it.

All I want is a room where I get no phone calls, no one bothering me and no distractions. I’ll buy my own dinner thank you. If you are comping me dinner to the gourmet room, chances are it will be more crowded than anyplace I want to be. Let me alone and I’ll win or lose 5 figures, try and comp me and I will walk out the door. Just my nature,

Dicedoc from Chicago

Ted Responds – Thanks for reading! No question that many want to enjoy all the freebies they can, although it comes at a price to a higher limit player such as yourself. They want to track your play, get your home address, cell phone number, run your credit and practically name your first born in return for the higher level comps (free suites, fine dining, top show tickets all on the house).

That comes with a price. Your new “best friend” is the casino host at the place you frequent. It is nice to have them inviting you out to Vegas all the time with the comps, but in reality it is their job to get you locked in. Visiting only their place as often as possible while keeping you away from the competition. In addition, two risks come to mind:

  1. Comps are not actually free. They are based on your play. The more money you are likely to lose, and the more often you come and visit (creating more losing visits in the big picture), the more stuff they give you. But it is only a fraction of what they expect you to lose over the course of your many visits.á

  2. Familiarity breeds contempt. For years, I had a friend come to town and toss some pretty serious money around playing at one of the major Strip properties. He only stayed there no matter what. Over time, he noticed that his treatment wasn’t as good as it used to be and the comps weren’t as generous.What should he have done? Taken his action to other hotels, told them he was a longtime Hotel X customer but he wanted to see what they could do for him. They would have rolled out the red carpet! But alas my friend felt obligated by his “friendship” to the host of Hotel X and just kept visiting and being disappointed.

Note: Hotel hosts are not nor every will they be your friend. Their job is to get you to visit often enough to separate you (over the years) from as much of your money as possible. And they succeed because since you want to keep your comp level up (and keep the freebies and their “friendship” intact), most people tend to gamble more than they normally would have.

How much more? When all is said and done, they gamble away more to stay in the host’s good graces than it would have cost just to buy the suite, buy the fine dining, and buy excellent tickets to a show (fight, whatever) from a broker!

This is not a blanket condemnation of casino hosts or those of you who gamble lots of cash and expect good comps. Just remember that it is you against them, and plenty of competing properties want your business. Your host does his job, which is to try to keep you happy. But your job is to be a smart customer, not afraid to take your business across the street in search of a better deal (better treatment, more comps).

Many choose to go Dicedoc’s route: No pressure from the host, no pressure to gamble a certain number of hours per day, no pressure to stay at only a certain hotels. And for those of you that gamble at the higher levels, this might be a great time to review what’s going on. Are you happy with your host? Have you had some bad losses trying to put in the expected number of hours where the money would have better been spent paying for your suite and only gambling when you feel in a “lucky” mood?

I’m not here to take sides. Have nothing against casino hosts. Use them wisely if you use them. Just reminding all our readers who play higher-end to that you have many options.

Live From Las Vegas,

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All contents copyright 2006 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

July 5, 2006 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us

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